Talent Show
by itsLisey
Summary: My name is Alexandra Margarita Russo and I'm moving to Hollywood, California to act on a television show called So Random. Stop laughing. I'm not kidding.
1. I Am

**Welcome to the first story I'm posting on this account. It's a Wizards of Waverly Place crossover. Enjoy it. It may or may not be finished. Review if you wish. **

**I like reviews. **

**------**

You want the truth? I don't think you can handle the truth.

Too bad. I'm telling you anyway.

My name is Alexandra Margarita Russo. I have an older brother, Justin, and a younger brother, Max. My mom is overemotional and my dad is overprotective. It seems as though my life is just as ordinary as every other teenage girl in New York City. This is where it gets fun. Despite my seemingly average self, I have abilities that others don't. In fact, my brothers do too. We're wizards. I know that anyone reading this right now wants to laugh, or is already laughing, and crumple this paper or close the browser window or quite possibly throw the book in a bonfire and walk away thinking that this is some elaborate hoax that I've sewn together. If you know me at all, you probably didn't even reach this sentence. But if you're still here, don't destroy this. Wherever you're reading this, whatever you're reading it in and whoever you are reading it with; it doesn't matter. Stay. Read. Enjoy.

Believe.

My family thinks I have no real special talents. I'm not very good at the magic stuff, and school is less than satisfactory. I might even consider myself a no-talent, boring, lackluster nothing if I wasn't writing this right now. The only talent I've ever expressed to my family is the ability to paint. I paint murals and paintings, the occasional sunny sky and a rainbow somewhere in between for a younger cousin for their birthday, and maybe some walls when I was younger. But my writing? I don't even think my family knows I can read, let alone form complete sentences on a piece of paper. Yes I, Alex Russo, write.

Stop laughing.

No, really, stop.

Thank you.

I have a poet's soul.

Okay, even I have to laugh at that one. I'm just kidding. I don't think I've written a poem in my life, if you don't count rhyming spells that I'm forced to make up in Wizard class. Yes, I attend Wizard's class. My father is our teacher, and together with my brothers, we practice spells in order to one day compete against each other in a bid to keep the magic we were given at birth. Everyone knows Justin will get the magic. It seems like a cruel, immortalizing joke to even ask Max and I to continue attending Wizard classes. As much as I would like to keep my powers, it would be stupid to think for a second that I will. Justin is smart.

I guess I can't just say that I'm a writer and a painter. I think all around, I'm just an artistic person. I'm not book smart, I'm street smart. I don't have that brainy, genius thing that Justin has going on, but instead I've got the go-with-the-flow type of attitude. Is that necessarily a bad thing? I don't think so. Do you want to know why? I'll tell you why; because my artistic talents are why I am where I am right now: Hollywood, California.

At this very moment, I am driving in the car with my dorky parents and my even dorkier brothers. Through the California streets, we drive and drive and drive. As we drive, I write and write and write. It's simple to say that many years from now, not a single soul will have read this paper other than me, and I will only have read it as I am writing it. But maybe someday, when I look back at my life and remember this, I can reread this paper and remember who I was now and make sure I've become no one I don't want to become.

I've heard Hollywood does that to you.

But I assure you, I am going to stay exactly who I am now.

My name is Alexandra Margarita Russo. I am a 16 year old wizard. My family is letting me move to Hollywood, California to act in a television show called So Random.

It's time to show my talent. Move over, Justin Russo.

**Tell me what you think in a review. Thanks.**

**-Lis**


	2. Magic

**Chapter 2. Might be the last one for like, two weeks. I'm going on vacation. **

**---**

So Random: my guilty pleasure.

I saw the show on television a while back, and though not my normal genre of television, I couldn't help but laugh at the two-bit comedy and stupid-yet-hilarious jokes. The cast members seemed normal, and not quite as stuck up as you'd imagine teenage stars to be. Though Tawni, a blonde with a snarky attitude and hair brighter than the sun, (I would know, I've been there), was someone I was not looking forward to meeting. Imagine my surprise when I walked on set only to find her no longer part of the cast.

"Tawni left?" I asked. Not even Tawni leaving could subside the nervous feeling in the pit of my stomach as I walked down the hall with a balding man whose name I couldn't remember. "As in, left the show or just left for the day?"

"Left the show," the man replied. "-no, no, don't worry my dear, nothing to do with your joining the cast." Don't worry, baldy, I wasn't worried. "She got cast in a new sitcom at another station, and it conflicted with her schedule here. All is well though. That's why you're here! Why do you think we held the contest?"

"I don't know."

Oh yes, there was a contest. I can imagine what anyone reading this could be thinking. Alex Russo entering a contest? That takes effort.

It was a slow week.

That's beside the point. The contest was advertised all over television, the internet, and even at my school. They did casting calls all over the country. It just so happened that they did one in my very own school. Convenient, yes? Stop, I know what you're thinking. I did not use magic to get the part. It's not that using magic didn't cross my mind, because it definitely did. Life is so much easier with magic. It's also a lot harder, because I tend to screw up a lot. In the end, a little voice in the back of my head was telling me to not use magic. So I listened, (just this once), and I guess the little voice was right.

That voice better not get used to being right.

So I entered the contest, sans magic, and voila. I'm the new cast member on So Random. It took some persuading to convince my parents to let me go. It went a little something like this.

"But dad-"

"No."

"Daddy-"

"No."

"Please daddy!"

"No."

"You'd let Justin go!"

"No."

"You wouldn't let me go?"

"I didn't say that Justin."

"Actually, you just did daddy."

"No, I meant-"

"Daddy, _please-"_

"No!"

"Why wouldn't you let me go? _I'm _the responsible one!"

"I didn't mean-"

Add on about twenty minutes more of arguing, yelling, and a few pity tears and puppy dog lip from me before my mom told me I could go if it got everyone to be quiet. There were rules, (like me zapping home two times a week for wizard lessons), and my school grades improving. Other than that, and a few dozen post cards a week, I was allowed to go.

And so here I am.

The bald guy kept talking, and I kept acting like I was listening, (see how good of an actress I am already?). He stopped abruptly, catching me off guard, and I stumbled a little before catching myself. More mumbles, more rambles, and more pointless conversation before he finally opened the door to what was the coolest room I'd ever been in. There was everything everywhere. It looked like a cleaner, better smelling version of Max's room minus the rotten food and stained clothing. There were props everywhere, and I couldn't even imagine what they were all used for or if they had all been used. In the middle of the room was the most comfortable looking couch I'd ever seen, and after an exhausting drive with my family, I wanted nothing more than to crash.

"Welcome to your new home, Alex."

"Alex is here?" I heard footsteps, and suddenly a girl appeared in front of me. I'd seen her hundreds of times before on my television, but in real life she seemed so different and even more alive. Her hair was a chocolate brown, much lighter than my nearly black hair, and her eyes were that same shade. She was smiling, and a tiny part inside dreaded the peppy attitude I'd heard so much about. It was bad enough with Harper sometimes, and I had no idea what I was getting myself into. "Hey, I'm Sonny."

"Alex." Our hands met briefly for a handshake, but I swiftly avoided all eye contact. No, I wasn't intimidated by her. Alex Russo isn't intimidated by some television star. There was just something about this girl. I needed to know her more before I developed any form of friendship.

"Well, I'll leave you two be. Sonny, show Alex around please? And make sure Zora doesn't get any more high sugar fruit drinks." I glanced at Sonny. Nothing suggested that this request was out of the norm. Baldy left, and I walked to the couch that I'd been dying to test out. Sonny followed, and I begrudgingly sat down and left enough room for her to sit as well. I kicked my feet up to rest them on the coffee table.

"So, you're from New York?" she asked.

"Yup." I picked up a magazine and thumbed through it. There was something about Brad Pitt and Angelina, and another article on TomKat and another on a reality couple going through a nasty divorce. 8 kids? No thank you, I think I'll get my tubes tied now.

"I'm from Wisconson. You know, it's sort of weird. I used to be the new girl on set, and now you're the new girl on set, and I'm the more experienced girl on set since Tawni isn't here anymore. Tawni, you know Tawni, right? You watched the show before hand? Well, she left. She's doing some show with Jake Ryan. Oh, do you know who Jake Ryan is? Blonde, tall, devilishly handsome as some would say. Others might compare him to Chad Dylan Cooper, but don't tell Chad that, his ego is big enough already. In fact, don't interact with Chad at all if you can help it. He's an egotistical, self-centered, self-righteous, and antagonizing-"

"Whoa there Sonny, there's a chance of 'I don't care' in that entire ramble." I tossed the magazine to the side. "Look, I'm not interested in Chad, so by all means."

"By all means what? You don't think that I-" she stopped. "Alex, _I _don't like Chad Dylan Cooper. He's annoying and big-headed and he has the ego of a-"

"Okay seriously, we really need to repeat my little weather joke that I said about twenty seconds ago? I don't _care. _I'm just saying, from what I've read in the tabloids, you and Chad have a thing going on and I'm not interested in him so go for it if you want."

"Well, I don't want."

"Alright."

"Okay."

"Perfect."

"Splendid."

"I'm really not going to continue this little banter,"

"I didn't think so." Sonny sighed. "So are you ready for rehearsal tomorrow?" Obviously, silence was not golden in Sonny Monroe's world. I longed to be by myself for just a few moments. Sonny was shining just a little bit too brightly in my world at the moment.

Okay, that's enough of the weather jokes for now.

I didn't really know what to say to her question, though. Was I ready to be filmed in front of a live audience? Tomorrow was just a read-through, but I hadn't even read the first page of the script, let alone picked it up at all. This was a chance to prove to my family that I'm not a screw up, and that I can do something by myself, without Justin's help and without magic. Stop it! I don't care what my family thinks of me. I mean, not _really. _I just want to prove them wrong, that's all.

"As ready as I'll ever be."

"So how long have you watched the show?"

"How long has it been on air?"

"About three years now."

"Not as long as that." I said as I popped a mini chocolate candy in my mouth. Sonny bit her lip and put a strand of hair behind her ear. I continued to chew and she continued to stare. My phone started vibrating in my pocket, and I hit ignore. My family just left and now they're already calling to check up on me? How typical. "So, uh, how's the food around here?"

"It's alright." Sonny shrugged. "It could be better."

"Well hello, hello, hello ladies." I turned around just as Sonny scowled. "So this must be the newest cast member of So Random."

"Oh, and this must be-"I paused. "Someone I don't know." I rolled my eyes and walked over to the computer desk and pulled my laptop from my bag.

"Don't…know? You don't know who I am?" He said from behind me. "I'm Chad Dylan Cooper! I play Mackenzie in Mackenzie Falls. You know, that show that's won countless awards thanks to my flawless acting?"

"Oh!" I gasped. I saw Chad smirk and nod his head. "I remember now. My lawyers will be contacting you shortly to retrieve the thirty minutes of my life back from watching your show. In fact, throw in a couple burritos too, since mine got cold when I fell asleep." His mouth fell open. Actually, so did Sonny's. I dropped my mouth too in feigned shock. Chad turned and walked out, muttering under his breath.

"I can't believe you just talked to Chad like that." I shrugged and grabbed my bag, pulling out my laptop and turning it out.

"Who cares? You said you didn't like him."

"And I don't," she said roughly.

"Then I see no problem."

"You seem like a very blunt person, Alex."

"And you seem like a very hey let's lie but not call it a lie because we're sparing someone's feelings type of person." She didn't respond for a few seconds, and then in a quiet, (and yet still perky voice), she whispered.

"Is that a bad thing?" Was it a bad thing? Sonny annoyed me, that am I sure of. She had an upbeat personality that almost made me want to vomit. Her outfits were colorful, though not as "artistically" put together like Harper's, and I have yet to not see her smile. But, there was something refreshing about the girl.

"I'll let you know."

The first week at So Random was probably the longest of my life. Granted, I wanted this. I put myself through this. But after screwing up the scene more than enough times to get everyone a little irritated, I felt like a bit of an outcast. Nico and Grady weren't speaking to me after I accidentally dropped a bucket of fish on them, and Zora was angry that Chad had gotten back at everyone for my comment about MacKenzie Falls.

I collapsed on the couch as soon as I entered the dressing room. Anymore, I wasn't sure if I could pull all this off. Between trying to get everyone to like me on set, and popping home a few times a week to do Wizard lessons, and making up for my absence here by throwing out lame excuses, I got the least amount of sleep I've ever not had. Just as I closed my eyes, the door opened and Sonny came in.

"Hey Alex." She tossed her scarf across the chair and walked over to me. "Are you alright? You didn't come to dinner."

"Just tired." I yawned.

"It's only 5 o'clock."

"Your point?" She stayed quiet. I almost felt bad. For one, Sonny was the only person here that didn't totally hate me and want me to leave. For another thing, she was quite honestly a very nice person. Annoying as all hell, but overall, she was nice. I knew that I could be nicer to her, but nice wasn't exactly a trait that I possessed all of the time. "Sorry," I sighed. "I didn't mean to snap at you."

"It's alright." Silence. For one small moment, I felt a longing for home. Whether Justin, Max and I were getting along or not, it wasn't painstakingly silent all of the time there. Dad was always excited about something, mom was probably yelling at someone, and the busy substation was always bustling with activity. And now, most of my evenings are laying in the dressing room, waiting for the moment to come that someone tells me I'm not cut out for this and that it's time for me to leave.

The dressing room is essentially my home. Although it's easy enough to be living in New York, at least during the nights, and pop back in L.A for the show, we all agreed at home that the risk of someone noticing me coming and going like that was far too great. Instead, I stay here. Everyone thinks that I leave every night, but instead I stay in the dressing room and sleep in a room I created that only I know the whereabouts of. Yes, I used magic in a sneaky, underhanded way, but it was for good, technically. I created a spell of which only a wizard can detect, much like the spell we use at home for the room we use during Wizard classes.

The tomb prop we use for sketches opens up. When a mortal walks in, like Zora for example, there is nothing out of the ordinary. When I walk in and utter the proper words, _Ouvert ambrec_, the back of the tomb fizzles until it dissolves and before my very eyes my bedroom appears. The room is nothing like my bedroom back home. I had plenty of say in my room in New York, but of course my parents chose here and there little items or changes of my original intentions. Here, however, I had total freedom in choosing how I wanted my room. With the tiniest flicks of my wand, the room bended to my will. The far left wall was beautiful grey stone that reminded me of our Wizard layer. The other walls were black splashed with bright colors. It was probably my favorite piece of art I'd ever created. Right over my bed, with the colors splashed on the walls, I'd painted a mural of myself, Harper, Justin and Max that was a remake of a photograph we'd taken several years ago. The room screamed Alex.

"Hey Alex?"

"Yeah?"

"Would you like to spend the weekend at my place? My mom is out of town. She had to fly to Wisconson for a bridal shower, and I don't really want to stay there alone. I can't just leave, though, because my mom has this cat, and-" she stopped talking. "-well, I mean, you'd have to ask your parents and everything, but-"

"I'd love to." I said quickly. "But-"

"It might be fun." She said even more quickly. "My mom has a killer dvd collection." I bit my lip and hesitated. An entire weekend with Sonny? But human contact was too good to pass up. I nodded.

"Alright, yeah. I'm sure it'll be fine with my parents."

"Cool!" That sounded way too enthusiastic. "So, I'm going to go down to get some frozen yoghurt. Want some?"

"No thanks. I think I'm going to stay here and sleep a little."

"You do that a lot."

"I'm a professional." She smiled and left. I quickly walked to the tomb, made sure no one was coming in, and went into my bedroom. I collapsed on my bed, but before I could even shut my eyes, I felt a vibration coming from my pocket. First I pulled out my cell phone, but after realizing that wasn't the source, I tossed it to the side. Then I pulled out my wizard two way mirror and opened it.

"I'm coming in." I heard Justin's agitated voice say.

"Could have knocked." I said, disgruntled.

"_I _could have knocked? _You _could come to Wizard classes." Well, crap. I guess I forgot about those.

"Oh Justin, I'm sorry! Is dad mad?"

"Not if you don't come home right now and catch up. He said since you missed two lessons, you'll have to stay Saturday and Sunday to make them up."

"I can't! I promised Sonny I'd spend the weekend at her house. I can't just bail on her Justin, she's the only friend I have here right now. Well, she's the only person who likes me. Or…she's the only person who puts up with me. I just can't ditch her like that."

"Alex, it's either come home and do your lessons, or you come home permanently. That's dad's decision, I'm sorry. It's not mine."

"Just…" I growled. "Just tell dad I'll be there in the morning!" Justin sighed and shook his head, then disappeared into the mirror. I fell back onto my bed once again and tossed the compact mirror across the room.

I didn't want to disappoint Sonny, but I'd disappoint her even more if I never came back. I have two choices; totally bail on Sonny and risk her being mad at me, or totally bail on lessons, get in trouble with dad, get pulled out of L.A and back to New York and be a miserable failure.

Or I could use magic.

--

**Review? Thanks.**


	3. Friends?

**So, basically, this chapter is dedicated to animeaics whose review made me want to crank out a chapter before I leave for my trip. Then I realized that I hadn't packed yet and was leaving in a day. But had I not been lazy and packed earlier, this chapter would have gotten up. Maybe. Then school started, and it went all downhill from there.**

**Go check out her stories. Thanks.**

**Your reviews fuel me.**

**---**

Before I even begin to write down everything that went wrong with my plan, I'm going to write down things that I've learned this week that I should have learned a long time ago. First, Chad was a vampire, and second, there was a part of him…

Just kidding.

Let's just jump right in before I kill you all with my side slaying humor.

---

"So, this is it." Sonny's house wasn't exactly what I had imagined. Although I knew Sonny was down to earth, I also knew that she was on television. I guess in my mind, her house was big and elaborate. It was anything but. The house was a small two story. When we first walked in, I couldn't help but think of our own living room back in New York. There were plenty of funky reds and oranges, and even though the carpet was brown, it wasn't ugly. It seemed to mesh. Through a door, we entered a pale green and white kitchen. There was another small sitting room connected, which was a bit more conservative, with white carpet, two light green sofas, a coffee table and a small television. There was a doorwall leading into the backyard.

"I like it." I said. "It's fresh."

"Thanks." She replied, getting down two glasses from a cupboard. "Want something to drink? We have lemonade, water, milk, and I think there's some pepsi in the basement."

"Lemonade is fine." The ice cubes clinked against the glasses. She poured some lemonade into each and handed me a glass. I took a look at photos that sat on the mantel of the fireplace. A single photo caught my eye of a young girl with brown hair down to her waist and a toothy smile across her face. She had a guitar in one hand and a sheet of paper in the other. The little girl couldn't be more than four. "Is this you?" I asked, chuckling slightly. I saw a blush creep up her cheeks.

"Yeah, that's me." I laughed a little bit more. Sonny was embarrassed. "It was my birthday, and my dad gave me his old guitar."

"You play?"

"N-not really." She stuttered.

"Does your dad?" Sonny set down her glass of lemonade down on the counter and grabbed a bag of chips and opened them.

"He died." She said quietly, taking a bite of the chip. "Shortly after the picture." I didn't know what to say. The thought of losing my dad was unbearable, and knowing Sonny had lost hers so young made me feel oddly emotional. I took a few steps closer to her.

"Sorry."

"It's fine."

"You said your parents went away for the week."

"My mom and step dad." Another chip went into her mouth. She wiped her hands on a towel and pointed to another picture of a man and a woman. The man was much taller than the woman, with black hair and tanned skin. He had on a pair of black rimmed iron glasses and his smile was just a little crooked. The woman reminded me of Sonny, with the chestnut brown hair and wide smile. He embraced her around the middle and she was laughing. It was that cute picture of your parents that you don't want your friends to see, but they always see anyways. "They married two years ago. He's nice."

"They look happy."

"They are." She wavered for a moment. "I almost feel bad for causing so much trouble."

"You? Trouble? You're a saint." Sonny laughed and took a seat on the couch. She folded her legs up and hugged them to her chest. I sat on the opposite end and sat with my legs crossed, bag of chips still in hand.

"Moving out here was hard. He's got kids back home."

"Oh goodie, step siblings. Are you Cinderella?"

"No," she laughed. "No, we got along pretty well. It took a while to adjust for them. Their parents' divorce was really easy though. Kris and Lori are still friends. They just weren't in love anymore. She's really nice."

"You used past tense. You don't get along anymore?"

"Evil step-sister got an acting job in L.A and that required moving from Wisconsin out here. No kid wants their dad moving hundreds of miles away."

"How many kids are there?" I asked, popping another chip in my mouth. The answer nearly made me choke. "SIX kids?"

"Keeley, Jacob, Hannah, Anya, Talia, and Leah. Five girls, one boy. If Jacob wasn't so annoying, I'd feel sorry for him."

"Take it from a girl who has two brothers," I said. "Being out numbered, gender wise, is the ultimate hell. The differences are more outstanding than you could possibly know. Take my brother Justin for example. He is an egotistical, know-it-all, shove it in your face, has to always be right, pretend people think he's cool, idiot. My little brother Max is a slob, which is enough said."

"And you are?" Sonny replied, a coy smile playing at her lips. I scoffed.

"I am the mysterious, beautiful half Latina half Italian wonder that isn't going to tell you what she is because that is all part of being mysterious."

"I know who you are, Alex Russo."

"And who am I?"

"I'd tell you, but I guess it would ruin that whole mysterious thing you're trying to pull off."

--

A half hour had gone by, and I was actually having a good time. The only real "sleepovers" I'd ever had was with Harper. Of course I had a good time with Harper, but Sonny was different. She had a laugh that made me laugh, and her taste in movies was surprisingly similar to mine. None of that sappy, romance crap; she loves horror movies, and the good kind. Between us sharing stories and watching a movie, I had almost forgotten about Justin and Wizard lessons. I jumped off the couch, startling Sonny.

"Uh, bathroom?" She pointed down the hall, and I grabbed my bag and locked the door behind me. "Ok, Alex. You can do this." I grabbed my wand and a tattered spell book from my bag. No, I didn't steal it from the lair. In fact, I bought it with my own money (that my dad gave me). Two months ago, I was in a Wizard shop and saw it. I figured since Justin had the family's spell book, I should have one too. I opened the book and flipped through the pages. "Why didn't I look for this before?" I grumbled. "Oh, here we go. For long distance travel, wave wand in a circle while reciting your rhyming spell. Once circle is complete, jab wand fiercely in the middle of circle. Must be precise." I brought my wand up and started the circle. "Leaving California, heading to New York, take me back to Justin, my big brother the dork." I jabbed the middle of the circle, but nothing happened. I impatiently tapped my foot, hoping that it was just a delayed reaction. I looked nervously over my shoulder. I could hear the movie running. What was Sonny thinking? "Okay, okay. Um…" I looked at the book again. "Time to go back to the sandwich shop; take me there with one great pop." This time, I jabbed the wand even harder. Again, nothing happened. "Oh come on!" I hissed. "I really _do _need Wizard lessons if I can't do this. This spell keeps going wrong; take me home where I belong!" My wand stabbed the air and a purple ball bounced off the walls. It slowed and stopped right in front of me. The ball was a bright purple, and it made a quiet buzzing sound like a bee. My hand clutched my wand and my bag, and with my other free hand, I poked the ball with one finger. Before I knew what was happening, my entire body was being sucked forward. I felt as though I couldn't breathe. I felt the spell book in my bag pressing against my rib cage, and the wands tip was stabbing my arm. With a loud thump, I was pushed forward and I fell hard on our living room floor.

"Alex!" I heard my mom yell out my name. My legs felt like jello, but I pulled myself up on the couch and braced myself for the serious mother-daughter lovin' about to go on. Her arms wrapped around me and she kissed my cheek. "Oh, I've missed you so much. How's L.A? Are you eating alright? Here, I'm going to make you something. What do you want? A sandwich? Pizza? We have some enchiladas from last night in the fridge. What about tacos?"

"Mom," I laughed. "I'm fine, really. I just need to go do my wizard lessons."

"Oh." She frowned. "Well, you're staying for the weekend anyway. We'll have plenty of time to catch up, yes? Justin, Max and your dad are downstairs."

"Thanks." The plan was simple. Dad just had to see me, and then I'd be free to go back to Sonny's. I ran down the steps, through the Sub Station and past the kitchen and made it into the lair. Justin was sitting in the chair with a book out in front of him, and Max was laying down on the couch fiddling with his wand. Dad was at the desk. He looked up when the door opened, and smiled when he saw me. "Hey daddy."

"Alex, you're late."

"You're early."

"Alex…"

"You know, California is three hours behind. Technically, I'm the early one."

"You've been home five minutes. Do you really have to be difficult, Alex?" Justin shouted from the chair. I turned and put my hand on my hip.

"You're 17 years old Justin. Do you really still have to sleep with a nightlight?" His mouth opened, then closed, and dad put a hand on my shoulder and pulled me back over to him. "Come on dad, I'm only a little late."

"You're an hour late."

"Or 2 hours early, depends on what time zone you want to go by."

"Go sit down." He pointed to the couch. I grabbed Max's feet and moved them to the side. I glanced at my watch. 15 minutes is definitely too long to be in the bathroom.

"Oh! Dad, I forgot my wand upstairs. I'll go get it." I shot out of my seat and took the steps two at a time. I could hear customers behind me and feel their stares, but as soon as I reached the top landing I didn't really care. I tore the door open and grabbed my bag. Mom stopped her cooking and looked at me. "Oh, I… forgot some stuff in my room I need for Wizard lessons." She nodded her head, an odd look in her eyes, but I quickly moved my gaze away from hers and ran to my room. My wand was out of my pocket before the door was even open. "This is too much exercise." I began the circle. "Back to Sonny's here I go, take me quickly, please not slow." Knowing what was going to happen, I hesitantly tapped the ball, but this time I was ready. The pulling feeling was still intense, but this time I had positioned my bag and wand so I just felt a slight pressure from them on my side. My feet hit the floor and my leg knocked into the cabinet.

"Alex…? Are you alright?" Sonny shouted. I flushed the toilet and turned the faucet on.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine. I'm just brushing my hair?" Smooth Alex. "I'll be out in a second." I ran my fingers through my hair once and made sure all of my wizardry items were stowed safely inside my bag. I whipped open the door and hurried back into the living room, falling back onto the couch. I smiled at Sonny. "Sorry. I've got this weird hair thing."

"Oh." Sonny replied, clearly a little unsure of what to say. "Alright. Look, I was going to order some pizza…"

"Perfect! I'll go pick it up."

"What? I was going to have it delivered." She held the phone in her hand, her head cocked slightly to the side. I placed my hand on my stomach.

"Upset stomach, you know. I just need some air. It's not too far to walk. Just order it from that place down the street."

"Well, I can come with you… I don't want you walking alone…"

"No!" she seemed startled by my harsh answer. "I mean, I just need a little time to myself. I'll be fine. It happens all the time in New York, you know." I looked over my shoulder at the clock. "So, I'll get a head start and get down there and get the pizza." The door shut behind me and I kept walking until I knew Sonny couldn't see me from the windows. I bent over, hands on my knees, and took a deep breath. Since when did I get so out of shape? I slipped off my flip flops, which, of course, were not made for running, and I tossed those in my bag. The tree as my cover, I muttered the spell and was soon back in my bedroom, though a little more gracefully than I had entered Sonny's bathroom. I grabbed my wand, leaving the bag with my flip flops and spell book, and carefully ran down the stairs. Mom stood at the sink still washing a bowl of carrots.

"Want a carrot, Alex?"

"Only if it's dipped in chocolate." Out the door I went once again, through the sub station and down into the lair where the boys were. Justin was tapping his foot impatiently, quite like my father, and Max was eating a piece of cheese. I groaned and placed my hand on my stomach again, quite like how I did at Sonny's.

"Alex, what took you so long?" Dad gave me that look.

"I'm sorry, dad." I groaned again. "I don't feel very good. I think it's that time."

"What time?"

"That _time _of the month." All three boys stared at each other blankly. "I just got my fricken period!" All three yelled in disgust and covered their ears. Max dropped his cheese and Justin put his face in his knees. Dad didn't look me in the eye, and pointed towards the door.

"Okay Alex. Uh, just go lay down, or take some medicine, or…whatever you girls do…"

That was easier than I thought. I laughed all the way up the stairs, taking my time, knowing a pizza wouldn't be done for at least 15 minutes. When I got into the living room, mom was sitting on the couch with a magazine and her carrots.

"Now I _know _you're not done with wizard lessons already."

"No, but dad told me to go lay down. I got my period, so…" she nodded and popped another carrot in her mouth. "So I'm going to go lay down."

"No, no. Alex, wait. I haven't seen you in a while, come sit next to mommy." I looked at the clock. I had about 10 more minutes before Sonny expected me back. I sat down on the armchair of the couch and she pulled me down closer next to her. "Tell me all about the show! We watch it every night, you know. Well, I do. And your dad. Justin is usually doing homework, and Max is usually doing whatever he does…" I let out a small laugh. No one ever knew what Max really does in his bedroom. "Alex, I'm so proud of you. I've got to be honest. I didn't think you'd stay out there very long. I thought you'd want to come home. Maybe that was just me wanting you to be here, but I'm so proud that you stayed. You're doing a great job."

Things like this were always awkward for me. It wasn't often that I was getting praise and not scolding, but when I did, I never knew what to say. It hurt me a little to know that she didn't think I would stick it out, but I had to be honest with myself. _I _didn't think I was going to stick it out. I gave myself a week.

"Thanks mom." My eyes looked down at my bare feet.

"So tell me, did you make any friends?"

"I'm trying to." I muttered. "Yeah, I guess I have. Sonny is nice."

And so went the conversation. She wanted to know everything about Sonny, everything we've talked about, everything we do on set, and all the props. A full twenty minutes later, I was jumping out of the seat trying to get away. She talked about the neighbors and how their starting to be too noisy, and she even began a conversation about why she thinks we should plant more apple trees in New York.

"Mom?" she stopped. "Mom, you know, I'm really, really tired. Do you mind if I go to sleep?"

"Oh, oh… okay. Sure, honey. Want me to make you some tea?"

"No, I'm fine. I just want to sleep. With the light off. And the door shut. I hate when my door opens when I'm sleeping." She stared. "Okay, yeah, goodnight!"

I walked casually towards the stairs, holding my stomach and my face wore a pain stricken look. That is, up until I was out of sight. As soon as her eyes were off mine, I ran into my room, shut the door for the last time that night, waved my wand and went.

"Hey! Okay! I'm back." It wasn't until Sonny was standing in front of me, a dazed and confused look on her face, when I realized what was wrong. My hair was messy from the force of the spell. My feet were not wearing my black and purple flip flops, as I had left them at the house. I had no pizza in my hand, and my bag was nowhere to be seen. When I opened my mouth to say something, nothing came out. She started all the talking.

"Alex, where's the pizza? Where have you been?"

"I…" I have no answer.

"What have you been doing all night? You know, if you didn't want to be here, you didn't have to say yes!"

"I wanted to be here!"

"Obviously not! We've spent, what, thirty minutes together? Then, you finally get out of the bathroom, and you say you'll _walk _to go get a pizza. Then you're gone for forty five minutes and come back with no pizza! Explain that!"

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"Look, Sonny, if I could explain it, I would. But I can't. I can't explain it. You wouldn't understand."

"You know Alex, I was so excited when I heard you were going to be on the show. I haven't had a friend- a real friend- since I moved here. Tawny and I… we got along for the cameras, and sometimes in between. But we were too different. I wasn't surprised when she left the show for something bigger. Nico and Grady are cool, but they've got each other. They're guys. Zora is just Zora. I heard you were really down to earth, and you weren't from the Hollywood scene, so I thought you'd be different." She took a deep breath. One of her fingers looped through her belt hole and her other hand was stuffed in her pocket. Her eyes stared at the floor. "I had _one _friend in Wisconsin. I hardly ever talk to her anymore. She was the one person I could always count on. One day, we were talking on the phone. One of her new friends was over. They were laughing and making jokes. I asked what was so funny, and you know what she said? She said I wouldn't understand, because it was a Wisconsin thing." I suddenly felt like a complete bitch. "Maybe I had high expectations. Maybe I thought that we'd become good friends, maybe even best friends. Maybe I just thought I'd have a friend. I don't know, Alex. But I was hoping tonight would be something, and we could watch movies and laugh, and get to know each other."

"Sonny, I-"

"-no, Alex. It's okay. This was my fault. I'm from Wisconsin, you're from New York, and now we're both in L.A. We're too different. That's just how it's going to be."

"_Please, _Sonny. Just listen to me."

"Maybe you should just go."

"I don't want to go; I really do want to be your friend!"

"You have a really weird way of showing it." She sighed, rubbed her hands across her eyes and shook her head. "Look, I'm going to bed. Do whatever you want. Stay, go, I don't care." She turned around to go to her room.

"No, no, Sonny. Please."

"Just stop." She said quietly, not even turning around. The door shut.

I spent the rest of the weekend at my parents.

---

**Reviewizzle. **


	4. Swoosh

*****PLEASE READ BOLDED AREA*****

**Okay, so, I have no excuses for this one, none that you should accept. Basically, I was really lazy for a while, and then when I **_**finally **_**felt like writing, my laptop crashed and I had to wait until it was fixed. However… I DID write the last portion of the final chapter of this story and I know exactly where it is going now. It's a mixture of what I intended before, but I'm adding more adventure. **

**Also, something else. WARNING WARNING WARNING: slight spoiler here, folks, depending how observant you are.**

**If you hadn't figured it out before, I have been setting Sonny and Alex up for a romance for quite a while now. It's not a spoiler, because I've been trying to make it a little bit obvious and hope someone in the reviews mentioned the strong feelings Alex has been having towards Sonny and Sonny's behavior around Alex. It won't **_**really **_**come up for a while, but as there are some people uncomfortable about that sort of thing, if you do not want to read that please stop reading this story. I won't take offense- unless you write ignorant and derogatory comments in the Reviews section, so please, keep it clean. **

**If you don't have a problem with that, and you've liked this story from the beginning, then I think you're really going to like what I have coming up. I love, love, LOVE my final chapter for this, and I think if people want one, I'll do a sequel. I'm not sure how many chapters this will be, but I do have a portion of another chapter written that is somewhere in the middle. **

**I'm not particularly proud of this chapter. It's more of a fluff, not too much happens. I started this story in present tense, then randomly switched to past, but I like it in present tense so much more, and I wrote the final chapter in present. But, this entire chapter was written in past tense, so I had to go back and fix it. There might be a few mistakes here and there. Sorry for my indecisiveness. **

**PLEASE REVIEW. **

**-Elise**

--

For a week, Sonny didn't talk to me. I did skits with Nico, and she did skits with Grady and Zora. Our dressing room was quiet, and we didn't eat lunch together. The only time I heard her voice was when I watched her rehearse.

And I watched her rehearse a lot.

I started to hope she would yell at me, just so I could hear her voice. Just so I knew she remembered that I stood there. Sometimes, I wondered if I was obsessed. What was it about Sonny? It was my fault that she wasn't talking to me. Magic never solved my problems; why did I think that would change just because the state was different? Justin isn't here to bail me out anymore. This is all on me.

The day is long over. Everyone has left, and I am sitting alone in the dark prop room. I reason it would take far too much energy to take the four extra steps into my bedroom, and therefore, my bed has become the couch. Tomorrow, I have rehearsal from 6-10, school from 10-12, lunch, taping, another hour of school, and then at 8, when everyone had vanished from the studio, I will recite my spell and go home for wizard lessons. Just another day in the life of Alex Russo.

I guess it's getting too boring.

The door swings open and the lights pop on. Startled, I fall to the floor. I hear a shocked scream, and then my heart drops when I hear my name.

"Alex!" I remember once when I was five years old. Mom had taken me and Justin to the store. Justin, being the annoying, goodie two-shoes that he was and is, stayed by her and helped her load the cart with groceries. Me, I wandered off, away to an aisle filled with what I liked to eat and what I thought was more appropriate to put in the cart. My tiny fingers skimmed the boxes of cookies and crackers. In my own little world, life was sweet and innocent. Until, that is, my world built of sugar was shattered. I heard my name spoken crisp, short, colored red with anger. The walls around me caved. Mom found me.

As I struggle to pick myself up from the floor, the same feeling I had felt back then was rushing back to me now. I am in trouble.

"Alex, what are you still doing here?"

"I could ask you the same question." I say defensively, smoothing the invisible wrinkles on my shirt. My hand runs through my hair once and I glanced up at Sonny, my eyes not lingering long enough to connect to hers. She folds her arms across her chest; I mirrored her. Now we are dancing, but like two magnets that are being repelled from each other. We are never too close, but not very far. Slow, even movements. Methodical.

"I came back for my bag. I left it here." Hearing Sonny's voice, knowing she was speaking to me, even if it was out of necessity, is thrilling. The room spins, or perhaps it is my head, or maybe I'm just crazy. My cheeks crack from a large smile. Sonny is talking to _me. _Her fingers hook the bags strap and she turned. "Why are you smiling?" Harsh eyes, stiff mouth; I feel so small. My smile fades, along with any hope I had of being forgiven.

"I just like your bag, that's all." I sigh. She nods. We stand still. Everything stops. Then, she spoke.

"I should be going."

"No!" Word vomit, I can't control it. Sudden, unpredictable, and embarrassing; I sound so desperate. Her eyes move quickly, back, forth, back, and forth. Sonny's lips part just a little, as if she was going to speak, but they close just as quickly. One of my feet is moving, and then the other, and soon I am standing in front of her, just inches away. "No." I say a little more softly. My mind isn't thinking properly. If Sonny stays, how do I explain why I am here? What do I do if Justin pops in, as he so often did at night? Can I even begin to come up with an excuse to explain why my bedroom is in a prop coffin? But I can't stop. I don't want Sonny to leave. There is my intelligence, just shining through.

"Al-"

"No, wait. Sonny, I'm _sorry. _I don't think I can say it anymore than I already have. I've never said I'm sorry so many times in my life, in fact. Ask my brothers. I don't even know if I knew what being sorry really was until I hurt your feelings." I sigh. "Please, Sonny. Forgive me. This silence is killing me."

"Well…" she drawls. "I suppose I _could _forgive you… on a few conditions." I felt the air thin considerably. My heart beats normally; the tension went right out the windows. I can breathe again.

"Alright, and these conditions are?"

"Clean my room." My heart drops to my stomach. I laugh a little. I don't even clean _my _room.

"What?"

"Come over on Saturday and help me clean my room."

"No, really. What do you want me to do?" She smiles a little and brings her hand to my face, her four fingers pressed against my cheek and her thumb propping up my chin. Sonny's fingers are cold.

"I," Pause. "Want," Pause. "You," Pause. "To clean," Pause. "My," Pause. "Room." Her hand drops to her side.

"Or, maybe, you could just accept my apology and I could take you out for food or something." I smile, flashing a few white teeth and trying to look innocent. It works for my father. Sonny laughs and shakes her head. I groan. "Sonny, come on."

"Nope, you've got to help me with this. But after we're done, _I'll _buy some pizza and we can eat and watch a movie. Since, well, we didn't get to before…"

"Deal." I say begrudgingly.

Sonny's house is just how I left it before, except instead of going into the family room, Sonny leads me down a short hallway with paint that reminds me of vanilla ice cream. At the end of the hall is a purple door. Of course, I smile, Sonny _would _have her door painted. But when the door swings open, my mouth drops. Could a girl like Sonny really have a room this messy? This is8…well, worthy of being my own room back home.

The walls are a sunny yellow, (ha, ha, get the pun?), with the same color paint on the door painted on the trim. Her bed is big, with a shelving headboard painted purple and a bedspread with pink, yellow and purple stars. There are piles of pillows in multiple colors, but they are scattered across the floor. The backboard has a couple books fallen on its face. Bottles of nail polish, I count at least twenty, are fallen and one even looks like it is open just a crack. I notice a few small props from set that Marshall had let Sonny take home.

The floor is the worst. Clothes are everywhere but the closet and drawers. Shirts are falling off hangers and jeans are forcing themselves out of drawers. There is even a pair of leggings strewn up on the ceiling light. I take one-step forward and trip, bracing myself on the open lid of a wooden trunk. I casually peer in and saw an assortment of items, ranging from books to clothes, (though I think those just fell in), to old toys from McDonalds and I spot some pens and notebooks too.

From the corner of my eye, I thought Sonny flinched when she looked at her disorganized desk. The room isn't quite as bad as Max's, providing I didn't find year old anchovy pizza under the bed, but I still have an underlying sense of terror at the thought of having to clean it. Then again, cleaning in general makes me nauseous.

"I hope you don't have any animals, because if they ever got lost in here, they would die from suffocation after your avalanche of clothes falls and buries their body."

"Oh stop," she smile. "We found Princess in time." I pause, dropping the shirt I had picked up to inspect whether or not it was clean, staring at Sonny, my mouth agape, not knowing what to say. She breaks into a fit of laughter, gripping her side. I pout, fold my arms across my chest, and sit on the edge of the trunk.

"I didn't _believe _you." I huff. "Pfft. Like I'd… _believe…_oh, shut _up._" She smiles and grabs my hand. Sonny tugs my arm and I stand begrudgingly. "Let's get to work," I growl, cursing myself slightly for agreeing to this.

"Aw, is Alex upset? She giggles, wrapping her fingers around my wrist to keep me from escaping.

"Sonny," I whine. "You didn't say your room was _this…_" Horrible, awful, atrocious, appalling, fearful, horrendous! "…bad."

And so the work begins.

Once we started, I was surprised to find… I _liked _cleaning. Or, maybe, maybe I don't like _cleaning, _maybe I just like cleaning with Sonny. Because the floor was the worst, we both agreed it might be a good idea to start there. When I first walked in, I had spotted a stereo, and before I picked up another shirt, my fingers flipped through her music case. There was the music I'd expected from Sonny, (some Miley Cyrus, Aly&AJ, Jonas Brothers, even a Demi Lovato CD), but I was surprised to find some of my favorite bands. I picked out the newest Green Day album and put it in, turning the volume up as high as I thought I could without blowing the speakers. She nodded in approval and tossed me a hanger.

The clothes were easy to put in the closet, but organizing the drawers was a little more difficult. I soon found out that she didn't use her drawers for _just _clothes, but also extra storage for her books, more CD's, and folders and notebooks filled with something she wouldn't let me look at. At one point, I had picked up a pink notebook and pushed open the front cover with my thumb. Before I could even read the title on the page, my breath caught in my throat, as her body collided with mine at full force. I reacted as anyone would, (yelling RAPE!), and fell backwards into the bookshelf. A few books fell off, hitting the floor with a silent thump, as they could not outdo the sound of my body slamming against the shelf from which they fell. She mumbled an apology and extended her hand, but when I went to grab it, I noticed she wasn't helping me up. No, she was picking up the pink notebook and putting it back into the drawer with the others.

My curiosity was peaked.

Finally, at the end of our clothing mission, the books, music and notebooks beat out the clothes by occupying six of the eight drawers in her long dresser. The closet was packed full.

Once the clothes were picked up, it wasn't so bad. In fact, we had a good time when Sonny wasn't throwing me into walls. We laughed and sang, (Sonny had quite the voice), and at some point, (though I don't remember when, I think by then we were both on sugar highs from year old Halloween candy), we were jumping on her bed and dancing to _So What? _by P!NK.

And now, six hours later, we lay side by side on her bed, exhausted and too sore to move to get the phone to order a pizza. I can't help but smile. I am finally having fun in L.A.

"My stomach hurts." Sonny says.

"I told you not to eat that miniature Hershey's bar. It looked discolored." She laughs and turns her head towards me, smiling. "What?"

"I had fun today."

"I'm a fun person."

"Oh, I know." She pauses and takes a deep breath. "Alex-" The door swings open and both of us sit up. A woman, who I could only assume was Sonny's mother, stood at the door, her dark brown hair swept up into a bun with a few disobedient tendrils framing her face. She is wearing an old Ohio State sweatshirt with black sweatpants. She definitely doesn't look like those "Hollywood" moms. She smiles and brushes a strand of her hair behind her ear.

"Hey girls," she glances around the room. "Oh thank goodness you cleaned this up Sonny, that's just so unlike you." I make a funny face, and Ms. Monroe notices. "You should have seen her this morning before going to set. She was running around here like a mad man, tearing clothes from her closet and drawers and unmaking her bed. I couldn't believe it. Sonny, what _were _you looking for?"

Um… what?

I look over to Sonny, whose cheeks are now considerably red. She clears her throat and stands up from the bed, picking up a hair tie and casually putting her hair up.

"Oh, I lost my script for today's taping." Sonny says coolly. Her mom laughs and shakes her head, picking up a single hanger we forgot on the floor and tossing it on her desk.

"You should have asked me, honey. It was on the kitchen table. You got it, right?"

"Yeah, mom." She says quickly, playing with a couple of things on the shelves.

"I'm going to order a pizza, any special toppings?" Sonny shakes her head. "You, Alex?" I slowly shake my head, my anger rising in the pit of my stomach, confusion clouding all other thoughts. "Alright, be back in a few. Your dad should be home in an hour or so." The door closes. I can hear the fan above us, _swoosh, swoosh, swoosh, _and I can hear Sonny's slow, even breathing. She is still facing away from me.

"Sonny…" My voice is rough. It sounds like I have been crying, but I know I haven't. My hands grip the sides of my shirt, bunching up great clumps. "You didn't lose your script, did you?" She shakes her head. "You messed up your room on purpose." Again, a short, abrupt nod. "But…_why?_"

"I wanted to hang out with you."

"Ever heard of a movie and pizza?"

"Because that worked out _so _well before." _Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh…_

"You didn't have to make me your slave!"

"I didn't make you my slave!"

"You made me _clean your room!" _

"Oh like you didn't have fun!"

"Only because I was with you!" Inevitable silence. I sit down on the edge of the bed. I don't even remember when I stood up. Sonny is still standing, but she's looking at me. I stare at the floor so I can avoid her eyes. "I had fun because I was with you. I guess I understand why you did it." I pick at a stray strand on my denim jeans. "But next time, could we avoid the labor? I'm not a House Elf." I'm just a magical wizard named Alex Russo, (no relation to Harry Potter).

"Connection to Harry Potter, very nice." She laughs. "I really am sorry, Alex." I shake my head and wave it off.

"Not a problem."

"Food?" she asks shyly.

"Well, considering you nearly worked me into starvation, it's the _least _you can do." We laugh and walk out of the room.

Life is good.

--

**Review, please? I've basically got a guildline for this story now. I think I'm going to start the next chapter… NOW!**

**-Lis**

**P.S: I love your reviews. (:**


	5. Check Alex Out

**Hello there. This is chapter 5.**

**Read, relax, review.**

--

Life is almost pointless if you think about it. We're born to the control of our parents, then we become teenagers and we receive the slightest taste of freedom, but the leash is still hooked. Then, we become adults, forced to take care of ourselves. We find a "soulmate", marry, have a few kids, and then stay together with our spouse or get a divorce. If you get a divorce, you have two options: stay single for the rest of your life, or marry again, and possibly again, and again, and again, and again until the day that you die. But, if you marry that often, you'll probably die alone anyway, because with your luck, you'd die in the off season of marriage. The cycle of life sucks. There is no relief from heartache, no freedom from control. Not until we die do we get absolute freedom, but who _really _knows where we go after that?

Maybe I'm cynical. But, as I brush the paint across the canvas, I can't help but have these thoughts. We're born, we grow, we stop growing, we pay money to go to college, we get older, have kids, watch our kids do the exact thing we did, we shrink, and then we get so old we die. It's like someone is pointing a finger in our face and saying ha ha.

The purple paint blurs into the red, making a new color. Is that what it is supposed to be like, meeting someone you love? Two different colors blurring together creating a whole? That's so cheesy I want to barf. What about life? Is life two different colors, waiting to be mixed together? Do we have to do the mixing? Are we given two colors, do we have to make a choice? Maybe the choices are to keep your life exactly how it was planned out for you, or shake things up a bit, do a little dance, swirl some colors together and make a rainbow of your life.

Another stroke, a jab in the water cup, then another stroke, and soon I have a collage of colors. There is no meaning to this painting, only the sheer boredom and curiosity of a teenage girl. I haven't painted since New York, nearly two months, but it's like meeting an old friend again.

It is nearly 2 o'clock in the morning. The day was long, but not uninteresting. Though, some may consider almost dying twice uninteresting, if they have a morbid sense of humor.

**Earlier:**

We were running a skit that Sonny and I wrote together the weekend we cleaned her room. It was based off Sonny and Tawni's _Check it Out _sketch. Well, no, actually, it was the exact same thing with a tweak here and there. Sonny had told me how much she missed doing the Check it Out sketch. I remembered the first time I ever watched that sketch on television. Personally, I found it annoying and stupid. But who cares, anyway? I'm on _So Random _because I wanted to be. I can't just _deny _doing a sketch, no matter how ridiculous I think it is. Anyway, we changed it… to a certain degree.

The stage was set to be a bedroom, messy, dirty, and in such an unfathomable state that Sonny's room that day looked tame. The mess was credited towards Nico and Grady, who found great amusement in tearing up one of our old sets and throwing random objects in from the prop room.

Sonny and I laughed our way onto set earlier, practically skipping in giddiness. We _perfected _this skit, and practice was going to be quick and easy. She took her place, crouching behind a bed, and I leaned casually against a disorderly dresser. Marshall shouted action, and Sonny and I began. She tossed a few things up in the air with pristine precision, knowing exactly where I was standing and where not to throw things to avoid hitting me.

"Check it _out,_" she stood, waving a rubber fish around. "It's a fish."

"Good job, you know your animals." I replied, an unamused look on my face. Sonny shrugged her shoulders and crouched back down. Then, she popped up again.

"Check it _out,_" she yelled in a high pitched, valley girl voice. "It's a red Frisbee!" I clapped sarcastically.

"I'm so proud," I said. "You know your animals _and _your colors? You're growing up _so _fast." She went down and up again.

"Check it _out,_" I resisted the urge to laugh. "It's your dog!" I dropped the prop bottle of nail polish and turned to where she was standing. My mouth hung open.

"Check _what _out? My dog? You said he died!"

"No, check it out, he's right here-" she stopped, frowned, and looked back up. "_Don't _check it out…" The _Check it Out Girl _music played in the background and Sonny skipped to the front. I walked slowly next to her as she bounced and hopped. _She's the check it out girl… _I heard the voices sing on the tape. Sonny pointed towards herself, and the music cut off. In a deadpanned voice, I said my last line.

"And I'm her sister." I said.

Marshall started clapping and I busted out a smile. He ran over to us and tossed his arm around our shoulders, clunking us against his side.

"That was _brilliant _girls," He squeezed our arms again. "I want to do it one more time, alright? Just to make note of a few more things." We nodded, running back to our positions. It was then that things got fishy. I hopped over a few strewn out items, but tripped. Of course, that is not what nearly killed me that day, not by far. As I laid on the ground, laughing at my own clumsiness, I looked towards the ceiling. My heart stopped.

What happened is still a blur to me. I remember yelling Sonny's name. I remember pushing myself up off the floor so quickly that when I twisted my ankle as I stood, the pain couldn't overpower the overwhelming fear that pumped through me. And I remember most specifically the feeling of running straight towards Sonny, my body colliding with hers, and then crashing onto the cold cement floor. When I hit her, it felt like we were flying for the briefest moment. Up, our feet off the ground, flying away from the danger. We were birds flying away from the single rainy cloud, except this was not a cloud filled with rain, but a huge stage light falling freely from its holders on the ceiling. And as I saw the light falling quicker and quicker, I realized that the impact the light would make on the floor would be much worse than the impact Sonny and I made. I scrambled backwards, dragging Sonny with me, as far as I could go before the light hit the floor.

And it hit. It hit hard, loud, and, for lack of a better word, _violently, _like the light was angry at something and was taking it out on the ground. Sonny gripped my arm tighter. There would be a bruise, but I didn't care. I tightened the grip on her hand just as hard. I could hear Marshall shouting, but both of us were too paralyzed to move.

There were so many sparks. It reminded me of the 4th of July when I was young. Mom and dad would give all of us sparklers. One year, I was mad at Max for stepping on my coloring page of Aladdin. He was still in diapers then, and though I didn't know I had powers, I had other powers that were not necessarily magical, and one of the few was revenge. Mom lit my sparkler and I took off running straight towards Max, sticking the sparkler in the back of his Huggies diaper. He ran in circles, and I remember my mom chasing after him, crying in Spanish and yelling at me. That was _her _talent; worrying about Max or Justin and being angry with me all at the same time. And as I stared at the sparks flying from the light, I could hear my mom's voice again yelling at me for lighting my brother on fire.

Soon we were being shaken and Marshall was dragging us away. I didn't even realize that I was standing and walking until we were sitting in the cushy chairs of his office. A glass of water was in my hand, and in my other hand, Sonny's hand. She was shaking still. I wanted to let go and place that hand on the glass of water, just to feel the coolness of the glass, but I knew Sonny needed my hand far more than I needed it.

I knew one more thing, too. Today, I almost died twice. First, seeing that light about to fall, knowing Sonny was underneath it. My heart stopped. But of course, I had to go and nearly kill myself by running under the light to save Sonny. I looked over at my friend.

It was worth it.

**Now: **

Now I am in my makeshift bedroom, painting and thinking and thinking and painting. People say that near-death experiences make you think more deeply about your life. Honestly, it only made me question the point of life itself. I am not suicidal, not by any means. In fact, I like to think that had that light hit Sonny, or had that light hit both of us, that we would have survived, that we built up enough good karma to save ourselves. Do I believe in karma? Possibly. I do believe in magic, after all. What's so farfetched after that?

I glance at the clock. It is now 3:30. Have I spent so much time thinking? It seems like just twenty minutes ago Sonny was leaving for the night and I was walking into my bedroom. Collapsing on my bed, I take a deep, slow breath and exhale.

Darkness.

--

I always feel welcome at Sonny's house. Her mom reminds me of my own mom, sweet, kind, and always wanting you to eat something. Her step dad is nice too, but I don't see him often. He works a lot, here and there, and I can tell him and Sonny have a strained relationship. It probably wasn't easy for him to leave his entire life back home for his new wife's daughter.

"Oh, hey." Sonny says quickly, standing up from the kitchen table. She takes another bite of her pizza slice. "I have something for you. Be right back." She runs out of the room and leaves me with her mom. It's almost comical how comfortable I am with Ms. Monroe. Harper's family is just as weird as she is, and though I love them all, if Harper had left me alone with _her _mom at the kitchen table, I probably would have fallen to the ground and faked a fainting spell so she wouldn't leave me again.

A knock on the door throws us all off. It's mid-afternoon, rainy and disgusting out. I hate this weather. Rain is so _blah. _Ms. Monroe scoots her chair out and opens the door. I hear a soft gasp and I strain to see. What I see, though, blows my mind.

I have seen a lot of attractive males in my lifetime, but the boy- no, the _man _who walked in that door seemed so unbelievably attractive that he put Dean to shame. His hair is the color of coal, and his skin, _oh _that _skin, _is a smooth golden bronze. The eyes take me by surprise. They are icy blue, no, not even blue, it is more like silver.

"Jacob! Oh Jay, how are you?" She throws her arms around him and hugs the visitor.

"I'm good." He says awkwardly, combing his hair with his fingers. Sonny walks from the hallway now to peer at the doorway. I can see the surprised expression on her face.

"Jay…"

"Sonny." He nods curtly. The tension just rose. Everything is silent.

"Alex." I say. Everyone turns to look at me. "What? I thought we were playing the name game. I felt left out." Sonny sighs a little and points over to me. Did her mood take a total 180 than what it was when she left the kitchen? I think so.

"Jay, this is my friend Alex."

"You're on So Random, right?" I nod. "I watch you all the time. You're great."

"_Sonny _writes a lot of the sketches." I fish for a compliment about Sonny, hoping that this guy wasn't quite as buffoonish as he is making himself out to be. He can't just compliment me, a girl he has _just _met, and not compliment his own step sister. Sonny's cheeks turn a hint of pink and glares at me.

"Don't be modest, Alex," she mutters. "We write them together." Jay nods. Sonny's mom ushers him through the doorway and into the kitchen. In better light, he's even more attractive than I first thought he was. I remember Sonny telling me that her step-dad was Italian and his ex-wife was Filipina. Their son acquired both attractive traits. Everyone takes a seat but Sonny and I. Ms. Monroe stares up at us, as though _daring _us to not join them at the table, but Sonny grabs my arm. It hurts a little. Her fingers are digging into my elbow. I shrug away, but not too far. "We have things to do for our next sketch."

"We do?" I mutter. She jabs me in the stomach again. I guess we _do _have things to do for our next sketch… whatever our next sketch _is. _"Oh, yeah. I forgot. Our new sketch, with the butterflies and… turkey." Everyone stares. "What? The show is called _So Random, _remember?" I laugh nervously and Sonny drags me out. I think I see steam pouring from her ears and nostrils. Someone has awakened a sleeping dragon in Sonny, and I'm pretty sure the person who did so is sitting in the kitchen chatting casually with Ms. Monroe.

"_Impossible,_" she hisses after the door is safely closed. "Arrogant, selfish, _immature¸ _conceded, stuck up, self-righteous, irresponsible…" I stand awkwardly at the foot of her bed. She is walking around the room picking objects up and moving them to different spots. It's sort of funny, watching her take something and move it, only to move it right back to its rightful place later.

"_Someone _has been reading their dictionary." I say. She turns around, eyes ablaze. "Sorry. No time for jokes, obviously."

"That _thing _sitting in my kitchen is the ultimate jerk."

"He's kind of cute." I fawn. Then I see Sonny's expression. "In the… wouldn't…go there…way…?" Better. She sits down on her bed and pumps her feet up and down, back and forth, too and fro. Me, being the sensitive, caring individual that I am, jump on the chest at the foot of her bed and fling myself behind her, making her bounce and slip off to the floor. I laugh, she scowls, but I can see a small smile on her face. "What's wrong with him?" I say as I offer her a hand to help her up. She takes it and slides next to me, curling in a little protective ball. Her eyes close. I wonder if she's asleep until she speaks quietly, just above a whisper.

"When my parents first got together," she starts, pausing every other word. "He didn't like it. They all thought that my mom had seduced their dad, and that's why their parents marriage broke up." I urge her to continue. "He hated my mom, but he hated me more. I was just another sister that he got stuck with." She takes her hand and scrunches up a portion of the pillowcase. "Honestly, Alex, there isn't any one defining moment that we decided to not like each other. It's not some huge story. We'd gone to school together, and we didn't like each other then, either. I wasn't so popular, and there had been… _rumors _about me since I started at my school. He started most of them," High school is so dramatic. It's sort of like those shows on Disney Channel. Horrible acting, complete train wreck, and so overly dramatized that you want to barf, but you keep watching anyway because you _have _to know what happens next. "Moving out here just made things worse. He turned _all _of my step-sisters away from me and my mom, even their dad. I don't know why he's here. It pisses me off."

"Maybe, just maybe now, he came to _apologize._" She snorts. "Okay, probably not. Don't let him bother you. It's not worth it. You see him, what, two times a year?" A nod. "Nothing to worry about, then. He's probably just here for some money."

"Maybe." She says. Suddenly, she sits up and runs over to her dresser. I nearly forgot about what she was going to get when we were all interrupted. "Close your eyes!" she squeals. Don't you hate that? When someone tells me to close my eyes, I feel overwhelmed with dread. What were they going to do to me? Was I going to be given something disgusting? Would they put something in my hand that I would never, _never _under any sane notion hold? It's like walking the plank. You don't know what you're getting, and then if you absolutely hate what the person is giving you, you're obliged to other be courteous and smile and thank them profusely, or ask them what they were thinking and if they were dropped on their head a lot as a child. "Are they closed?"

"Yes, they're closed." Unfortunately.

I extend my hand as she asks and flex my fingers, preparing myself for whatever is to come. She places something in my hand. It's rectangular and hard, and I can feel cold glass in the middle. A picture frame? I open my eyes, not caring if she didn't want me to or not, and I gasp softly before going into a fit of laughter. It _is _a picture frame, and in the middle, there is a picture of the entire cast of So Random, Marshall included. I don't even remember taking this picture, but it's the funniest thing I've ever seen. Nico is on Grady's back, his eye the size of saucers and his mouth wide open with his tongue sticking towards Grady's ear. Grady has his eyes cross-eyed and looking down towards Sonny's head. Sonny has her arms extended wide, with her lips pursed and eyes twinkling. I sit next to her on the couch, Zora spread across both our laps. She looks like she is laughing, which, knowing Zora as well as I do, I imagine is what she was really doing. I'm sitting there laughing as well. We all look happy.

"This is awesome!" I hug her briefly before looking at the frame. The frame was pretty cute, too. It was yellow with a summer theme, full of suns, clouds, and ladybugs. "Thanks, Sonny. Oh shoot." I mutter, looking at my school bag.

"What?"

"I forget I had to do that math assignment." I frown. I hate math. I hate school.

"Well while _you _do your homework, I'm running down the street for some frozen yoghurt. Want me to bring you back some?" I nod. The frozen yoghurt stand down the street has the _ultimate _yoghurt. "Strawberry?" I nod again as I pick up my bag and grown at the weight of it. She exits, and I hear her yell a goodbye to her mom. There is some chatter in the hallway, and then an eerie silence. For a second I wonder if everyone left, that is, until the door opens.

"Alex?" Jay has a hand on the doorknob and he peers in. I feel awkward. I know Sonny doesn't like him, but I can't help but find him irresistibly attractive. I also have inkling that Sonny wouldn't like this kid in her bedroom. "May I come in?" The politeness strikes me as odd. Maybe it's just because I've lived in New York for my entire life.

"Uh…" I look around for a second, making sure there was nothing out that Sonny wouldn't want him to see. "I guess." He takes a seat on the bed and plays with a loose string coming from the comforter. His hands look rough. "So…" Awkward turtle? These are one of those moments that it's so awkward you just want to hide under the covers or something.

"How do you like being on So Random?"

"It's alright." I shrug. "I've made some really great friends." Did I just see a flash in his eyes? "Sonny is really great, but you probably know that," Somewhere inside me, I know I shouldn't be prying. But come on, did I really expect myself to _not? _"-she's your step sister and everything." He chuckles. "I know I'm hilarious and everything, but I don't think I said anything funny in that sentence."

"Sonny is my father's new wife's daughter. Personally, I don't believe in the _step _thing. We don't live together, not even in the same state. We're nothing more than acquaintances." Well that's cold. I can't think of anything to say. My bag is still sitting next to me, so I open my math book and pretend to read. I thought he would take a hint, but he is still sitting there. "She doesn't think very highly of me, does she?"

"I can't see why," I say sardonically.

"I'm sorry, did I offend you?" he retorts.

"Not at all." I reply.

"Good." Short but sweet. "What are you working on, there?"

"Algebra." My answers can be just as short and _sweet _as his can be.

"May I?" he motions towards the book. Well, what do I have to lose? I hand him the book and he studies it for a moment then looks up. His lips are turned up into a little smile. "You're screwed," he says bluntly. I roll my eyes and snatch my book back and put it back in my lap.

"You're a comedian."

"I try,"

"Not enough." I say, flipping a page in the book. "You won't have a comedy central special any time soon."

"Perhaps a guest starring role on So Random, one day, then?" Was this guy _flirting _with me?

"You should bring that up with your _sister, _then. Maybe she can put in a good word. Oh, wait… never mind." His eyes really _are _quite pretty… oh Alex, _stop! _I shake the thoughts from my head. He smiles and laughs a little.

"I don't hate Sonny."

"It looked like you were in extreme pain just at the sight of her."

"I wasn't."

"You looked like it."

"Maybe you should get your eyes checked."

"My mom always told me to eat more carrots."

"Not too many, you might turn orange."

"Oompa loompa's are cool."

"Can you sing and dance?"

"Fairly well."

"Then I think you've got a career ahead of you with Willy Wonka." His voice is just above a whisper. Jay is sitting closer to me now. I notice the perimeter between us closing rather rapidly. What am I doing? He is kissing me. What? When did this happen? More kissing. I need to breathe soon, I know it. I need to pull away from him. Sonny wouldn't like this. And just as my eyes close, finally summitting to the kiss, (for whatever reason, I don't know), I don't hear the door open. I don't see Sonny standing there, two bowls of frozen yoghurt in her hand.

And I don't see her walk away, tossing the yoghurt in the garbage can on the way out.

What was that thing I said earlier about the life cycle and heartbreak?

--

**Review please?**


	6. It's 2012 Already?

**Relax, read, and review. **

**This chapter is iffy for me. I only like certain parts. It may seem like all it is, is filler stuff, but everything I put in this chapter is very much necessary for the end of the story. It all fits together like a really difficult puzzle that you want to throw against the wall at frustrating moments.**

**-Elise**

**--**

Something inside me breaks. I know what I am doing, and it's wrong. I pull away from him, scooting back as far as I can on the bed until my back presses against the wall. Clearly, he doesn't understand, and he crawls back over to me and tries to kiss me. I put my hand over my mouth and Jay backs off.

"You need to go," I mutter quickly, climbing over him and smoothing my hand over my wrinkled clothes. Even my bangs are frizzy, and I try to flatten them as best I can with my hand. My mind is running fast and I can't keep up with even a quarter of the thoughts that I have. Kissing Jay was… _weird. _"Leave." I say. "Now." It's a demand, not a request. He looks confused. How can he be confused?

"Wait, what's wrong?" he says, his eyebrows scrunched up.

"You just kissed me," I hiss. "I've known you for like, five minutes."

"I thought you wanted to!"

"No!" I shriek. Lie #1.

"You kissed back,"

"Reflex." Lie #2.

"You find me attractive?" Well, shit. I stutter. He's caught me off guard. Well of course I find him attractive. "That's what I thought." He is smug. I want to slap that look right off of his face. "Alex, I would like to take you out on a date."

"Funny, I thought the date came before the making out."

"In most cultures, yes. Times change."

"Not in here, kid. Come on, let's go. Sonny went to get us frozen yoghurt. She'll be back soon and she cannot catch you in here. You have to go." I drag him by his shirt. My fingers press against his chest. I can feel how firm and solid it is. My insides melt just a little. He's so damn attractive and it's pissing me off. I still have one hand on his shirt when we get to the door, but just as I open the door a crack, I slam it shut and slam him against the door. My face flushes. This can't be happening. This _cannot _be happening. "Okay nevermind, you can't leave."

"I knew you would come around," he smirks.

"No you idiot, Sonny is _back._"

"How do you know?" I point to the garbage can next to the dresser where two melted frozen yoghurts lay dejected and alone. Was Sonny in here? What did she see? How did we not hear her? I'm so screwed. I panic; my throat is closing up. I think about magic, but then I throw the thought away. I can't do magic with a mortal in the room. Shit, shit, shit! "Maybe it's old."

"You're not helping." I look over at the window. It's not a far drop… "Go out the window and go back in through the front door."

"If she already knows, Alex, what's the big deal?"

"Because on the slim chance that those frozen yoghurts _are _old, I'd prefer to keep my life, thanks very much. She's going to kill me."

"I am not going to climb out the window." I push him harder against the wall, my face right in front of his. He knows I am serious. He can see the anger in my eyes: the fear, the desperation, the anxiety.

"You will go over to that window," I whisper. My eyes close. I can see Sonny's face, angry and bitter, angry and bitter at _me._ "You'll climb out and I don't care what you do after that or where you go, but _please. _Sonny is the only friend I have here. I can't ruin it again." I take a deep breath and look at him, straight in the eyes. Something about his eyes sends a chill down my spine, and this time it isn't his physique. Something about his eyes is cold. "Please," I whisper again. His hand is resting on my waist and his fingers are twitching a little bit. He brings his face down closer to mine and kisses my cheek.

"Okay." Jay pushes me backwards a little bit, just so he can maneuver around me and over to the window. I wipe his kiss from my cheek, and even though a little part of me wants to watch him climb out, I slip out the door and close it behind me.

The kitchen is silent, the living room is empty, and I can't hear any noises coming from the bathroom. I feel like a burgler breaking into someone's house, just waiting for the slightest noise signaling life. Jay is probably at the front door now, waiting for someone to let him in. I could be nice, I could go open the door, but I'm not that nice, and I'm not going to go open the door. I step into the kitchen and look around. Our pizza box is still on the counter, but our plates are rinsed and drying on a towel. Ms. Monroe must have done our dishes. Her keys are gone, too, so she must have gone somewhere. That's probably why Jay was in Sonny's room with me.

Sonny's sweater is lying on the back of the wooden kitchen chair. I know it's the same one she wore to go get yoghurt. Her shoes are gone, though.

"Sonny?" I ask no one in particular. My voice isn't loud enough for anyone to hear if they're not already in the room. Then I felt it, that quick, tingling sensation you feel on your neck when someone is standing behind you. I want to turn around, but I can't. I don't know who's standing behind me, and I don't know who I'm more scared of: angry Sonny, or a burglar who is going to kill me. The silence is too eerie. I can feel my wand in my jean pocket. Stupid place, I know. "Sonny." I say again, this time, not a question.

"Jay." I groan.

"How did you get in here?"

"Door was open," he shrugs and goes over to the pizza box, picks up a soggy slice, and pops almost the entire piece in his mouth. "You know, you're pretty paranoid."

"Only when there are creeps in the room."

"I don't see any."

"Of course you don't, there isn't a mirror in here. Go in the bathroom and you'll see what I'm talking about." I sort of feel bad for arguing with him. He's not all that bad. What was it that Sonny said about him? He walks over to me and leans back onto the counter top behind me, his head hitting the cabinets holding plates and bowls. I didn't realize it when we were sitting in Sonny's room, probably because we were sitting down, but he is really quite tall. Or maybe I'm just short. He didn't look that short against Sonny or Ms. Monroe. Then again, they're both pretty tall. "Five feet." He cocks an eyebrow. "Five feet, away from me. Obviously you have some personal bubble issues that needs repairing. You've got a leak or something."

"Or I just really like you, Alex."

"You have known me for..." I glance at my invisible watch. "All of thirty minutes."

"You're attractive," he says. "Very funny, and witty."

"I'm not going to object, if that's what you're reaching for."

"Not at all," he chuckles. "I've seen you on So Random, and Sonny thinks highly of you."

"Because you would know what Sonny thinks," I scoff. "You don't even talk to her."

"It's painfully obvious you two are close friends." He pauses. "Go on a date with me."

"I have a boyfriend."

"And his name?" Well, crap.

"Dean," I blurt. "We were dating in New York. We decided to carry on our relationship long distance."

"Yet, in a recent interview with Popteen Magazine, you claimed you're single."

"Misquotation."

"I'm sure." He lowers his face to mine. "Admit it Alex, you want to go on a date with me just as much as I want to go on a date with you." He has warm breath. "The only reason you're saying no is because Sonny and I just happen to not get along. Now really, are you one to fall to peer pressure?" I bite my lip. He's right. I wouldn't be saying no to him if I didn't know Sonny wouldn't want me to. I would say yes. But, Sonny _doesn't _want me to, and I know that.

"Whether I admit it or not, I'm still not going out with you." My dad says my best trait is being stubborn, and I inherited from my mother.

"What if I kissed you again?"

"Would you _like _children, or would you just like a vasectomy now, in this room? It can be arranged."

"Alright, no kiss." I push past him and go back towards Sonny's room to grab my things. Hopefully, if I go back to the studio, Sonny will appear at some point. We were planning on meeting Nico and Grady there later for a movie. "Alex, please wait. I'm sorry if I came on too strong." My bag falls over my shoulder and I push past him again to go down the hall. With any luck, Sonny will be walking up the driveway as I'm walking down it. I pick up a pad of paper and scribble a note on it in case Ms. Monroe comes home and wonders where we are.

"Goodbye, Jacob." I close the door.

--

This was a bad idea. I enter the prop room, and I see Nico and Grady on the couch. Grady was upside, his feet pointed up towards the ceiling, and Nico was sitting upright with his feet propped up onto the coffee table. They are both staring at the wall. Neither blink.

"Hey guys…" I say cautiously. They both shush me. "Wha-"

"Shhh!"

"Okay, okay," I mumble. I fall backwards into the arm chair and lay across it with my legs falling over the arm rest. It's not very comfortable, but I grab a magazine and start flipping through it trying to find something interesting. There is an article about the new movie Tawni is starring in. I flip past it and past the inserted mini posters of stars that you can rip out. I laugh when I see one of the So Random cast, me included. It's weird seeing myself in a magazine. I wonder how many of these Justin has cut out and drawn on my face. I wonder how many of these are plastered on the walls at school, with people walking by and drawing on them… I can't blame them, though. I would do it too. I flip open my phone, dial Harper's number, and let it ring a few times before hanging up. She rarely answers. I'm not entirely sure she even really knows how to work her phone. I try calling Dean, too, but he doesn't answer. And then, the door opens. The one person that I really wanted to call is standing there, now, right in the doorway, looking at me just as I am looking at her. Grady and Nico look up, finally breaking their concentration, and they see the two of us. I glance over to them, and they're both staring at each other now, and then they get up and leave. Fantastic. They left me here alone, defenseless. Sonny knows.

The prop room is silent now. I stand, staring at Sonny with a half frown. Is it a half smile, if it is a half frown? I shake the thought from my head. She is standing behind the couch, and I see an image of fury painted on her face. Never, ever have I seen her angry. Sad, yes. Upset with me? Of course. I'm rather good at upsetting people. But Sonny, she is never so mad with me that she's shaking. I'm scared.

"How _could _you? He's my _brother._"

"Step brother," I point out. "How can you be upset with this?"

"I walk into _my _house and find my _best _friend making out with _my _brother." She pauses and frowns. "My step brother. That's beside the point! His father is married to my mother. You can't date him!" I felt a surge of anger run through me. Who is she to tell me who I can date?

"Excuse me?" I shout. "Now you're sounding like my brother, trying to tell me who I can and can't date. You can't control me, I can be with whoever I want. God, Sonny. What is with you?"

"How can you even like him?"

"How can you _not?_" She makes a gagging noise and I roll my eyes. "That's so immature, Sonny. I'm supposed to be the immature one in this relationship, not you. That's sort of my thing. Keep up." She lets out an annoyed sigh. "You cannot tell me who I can date. I can't believe you even said that. That's not like you. What's so wrong with me and Jay dating?"

I notice something about Sonny at that moment. Her demeanor has changed. She is thinking about something, thinking so hard that I imagine fireworks are going off in her head, little time bombs that are saying all these different things at once trying to tell her what to do and what to say. Her cheeks are flushed, and her eyes are much darker than normal. I want to ask if she's sick, but I don't. Sonny takes a single step forward from behind the couch so now we're facing each other 100 percent. The only thing between us is the coffee table. She's rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet. Her hands are crossed across her chest. My mouth is glued shut. I don't want to upset her, but I have a million questions. I think about Jay for a moment, and I make a note that these two are nothing alike, and it only makes sense that they're step siblings. Jay is rough and tough. He almost reminds me of Dean. He's so tall, and his features so dark, with jet black hair and such tan skin. His eyes though, those are blue, so unfamiliar. They are like ice sometimes, whereas Sonny's warm chocolate eyes remind me of hot cocoa on a New York winter day, inviting, welcoming, and warm. She is pale, and her hair is a light brown. Her features aren't so jagged. You never know what she's thinking. Sonny is a mystery.

She takes another step. Then another. One more. Now we're staring at each other, face to face, me, a little short and her, a little tall. Now I feel like someone has super glued my feet to the floor. I take pride in my own personal space, but I am now magnet being pulled forward. I do not want her to move. She goes to say something, and then stops. Even if I try, I know words wouldn't be able to form sentences from my mouth. And then, it happens. My head is exploding. Shivers run down my spine. The entire fucking world is ending. Is it 2012? I knew I shouldn't have watched that movie. Is this really happening?

Sonny is kissing me. At first, I find myself standing there, arms fallen to my side, so caught off guard that I don't know what to do. But now I'm kissing her back. My arms loop around her waist and I pull her closer. We are kissing quick, fast, with no care about someone walking in on us. Her right hand is cupping my face, the other resting on the small of my back with a small clump of my shirt in her fist. I run my hand through her hair. How did I not know how soft it was before now? We're moving backwards now and I fall onto the chair. Sonny lands on top of me with a small _oomph _but it doesn't separate us. We are oxygen free. Who needs it, anyway? She unlatches from my shirt and uses both of her hands on my face now, stroking my cheeks with the soft pads of her thumbs. My arms are around her waist again. A siren is going off in my head telling me to stop. I don't like girls, I don't like Sonny. But I'm kissing her, kissing her in ways I have never kissed anyone before. She is so soft, so sweet, but full of energy. I need to stop, I don't want to stop, but she stops for me.

She pulls away, a look of horror on her face. Her hands rub against her face and her eyes, and then she folds her arms across her stomach.

"Oh god, Alex." A tear trickles down her face. "I'm so sorry."

"Sonny-" I gasp. Now she is running from the room, away from me, away...

And now, I don't have a million questions. I just have one.

**--**

**Review?? **


	7. Run

**If you didn't know, (I had posted a message on my profile), my laptop died and needed to be shipped back to Toshiba in order to be fixed. This chapter, or, chapter 7 was on it. I got my laptop back a few days ago, and I re-read chapter 7, and realized I hated it. So I rewrote it. Voila.**

**Review?**

Sometimes life takes its hand and bitch slaps you right across the face. I find it sort of refreshing. It's like a wakeup call, screaming my name and telling me to stop being such an idiot. Do I ever really listen? No, I don't. But isn't it simply enough to know that what I'm doing is stupid and I should stop?

My room is a mess. I acknowledge that as I enter the room, my mind still reeling from the fireworks-inducing kiss that Sonny and I just shared, but any notion to clean the mess is nonexistent. I have a bigger mess to take care of, and it's called my life.

--

"Quiet on set!" Marshall is pacing back and forth, looking at the camera men with a fidgety look on his face and I know that he doesn't think that we'll be able to pull off this rehearsal in time for the live show. The day has been less than productive; the only thing I've done is screw up my lines, and the only thing Sonny has done is not show up. Grady is standing in front of me in a floral button up shirt and green shorts. On a normal day, this would make me laugh. Today is _so _not normal. I look back at Marshall. His eyes are nearly falling out of his skull. I can see his hand shaking, and his cell phone is held precariously between his thumb and index finger. He's waiting for Sonny's call. Isn't everyone? "Ok, ok, we can do this without Sonny."

"It's Sonny and Alex's skit," Nico says, taking a bite of an apple from the snack table.

"Then you get to wear a skirt,"

"Again?" Even I groan. Nico doesn't shave his legs- ever. "How come Zora can't do it? _She's _a girl, after all. I'm sick of wearing skirts."

"I'm sick of seeing him in skirts," Grady chimes in. He turns to me. "Alex, have you talked to Sonny? This isn't like her to just bail. Did you guys have a fight?"

"Not exactly," I bite my lip.

"Can't you guys just kiss and make up already?" I flinch. That's the _least _of what Sonny and I need to be doing right now. "This skit is awesome, and we can't do it without the other half." I look at Marshall, who is nearly in tears, and at Nico, still chomping on an apple, and at Grady, who looks like a complete idiot in that shirt, and I grab my bag from the floor.

"I'll find her," I grumble. My feet take me away, running towards my dressing room. Sonny isn't here, just as I suspected, but there is a note taped to my mirror. My hand trembles a bit as I rip the paper from the tape. All it says, is _The Roof, _scrawled in Sonny's neat, delicate handwriting. I'm suddenly regretting the decision to find her. I leave the room, take the stairs up, and exit the door that leads to the roof. It's a beautiful California day. I slip the hairband from my wrist into my hair and pull it back. There is one thing that bothers me about life, and that's wind. Wind was only put on this earth to mess up a girl's hair. The makeup and hair department won't like it when I come back down.

The roof is actually beautiful. It reminds me of sitting on the balcony at home. When I was six, and I remember this perfectly, there were summer nights in New York that were so hot that nothing could keep me in my bedroom. My blankets would burn my skin as if they were made of hot coals, each one with an individual temperature of over one hundred degrees. Back then, my room was filled with wondrous treasures that I collected over time; a sea shell from when we visited mom's cousin in Florida, a blue rock that I took when Dad took us site seeing in one of the Wizard portals, and a collection of bouncy balls that I had begun only to annoy my mother when she found them stuck down drains or when she caught me casting them across the room with my beginners wand for toddlers. But I would ignore all that, and without knocking anything off the shelf my parents didn't think I could reach, I would take the lid off of what my mom and dad thought was just a ceramic dog I made in kindergarten, and with my tiny little hand, grab as many bite-size candy bars as I could. It was my secret stash that I still have today.

My feet would slide across the floor, a pillow in one arm and the candy in the other hand, and out the door wall I would go. We had a cushioned lawn chair out on the balcony, and with my candy, I would lay out and star at the moon until I would fall asleep. In the morning, as soon as the sun would come out, Justin would wake me up and help me to my bedroom. I asked him once why he always did that, and he told me he didn't want me to get in trouble with mom and dad. It's funny how when you're little, things are different. Justin would hang me out to dry, today.

Sonny is sitting a little further out than where I am standing. Her back is to me, but I wonder if she heard the door close when I walked through. She's leaning against a small structure on the roof, I think it's a shed of some sort, and she's looking out onto L.A. This is a moment in my life I wish I could be invisible, or a fly on the wall, just to see the look on her face without her seeing me. My fingers lightly tape my wand that's in my pocket. It would be so easy, to just for a moment, cast an invisibility spell on myself. No one would know. Up here, the only one watching _me _is myself.

It startles me when I hear Sonny's voice, not speaking to me, but singing out into the wind. Her voice carries through the air, twirling and swirling with each new gust of wind that blows against our faces. It's not a sad song she sings, but not a happy one either. I've never heard it before. I press my body up against the opposite side of the shed and listen for a moment. This isn't the voice I heard when we were messing around in her room cleaning. That voice was good, this voice is sending chills up my spine. She stops, and I move back to the door, opening it just slightly and slamming it just loud enough for her to hear it. Sonny turns to me, smiles a little, and motions for me to come over and sit down.

"Hey," I mumble, taking a seat next to her. I sit as far to my right as I can. "We need to rehearse, you know. Marshall is having a meltdown in there," She's quiet. Her foot is moving around on the cement, making invisible scribbles that are washed away with the air. I kick my foot at a pebble that goes tumbling down the slanted part of the building.

"When I first came here, Tawni wanted nothing to do with me," she says. "The dressing room was cramped with her. It was like I wasn't even allowed to breathe the same air. I was suffocated." I pick up another pebble and run the pad of my finger over it. Bumpy, smooth, grainy, cold; all attributes of a single rock. "I found this place my third week here. It's beautiful, isn't it?" I nod.

"Sonny, they're really worried about you. We should go back-"

"I'm sorry, Alex."

"What?" Thump, thump, thump. That's what a _normal _heart should sound like. Right now, mine is thumpthumpthumpthump. There is barely a pause between the beats.

"For earlier, for what happened, it was my fault, and I'm sorry. It won't happen again." I _want _it to happen again. Wait, did I just think that? She looks at me and a lump grows in my throat. "I'm sorry."

"Oh, yeah. Right." I mumble. "Yeah, of course. It's no big deal." She starts walking away, back towards the door. I stare back out into the smoggy, hazed view of Hollywood buildings and run over to her to catch up, grabbing her hand and stopping her. "Why did you put that note on my mirror? To come up here?" She looks from my hand, to my face, and then back down to my hand. I let go and back up a few steps.

"Because…" she says slowly. "It's beautiful."

And she leaves me standing there. Again.

--

"Concentrate, Alex." My dad yells. I let out a frustrated groan and fling myself back onto the couch. This isn't _working. _This whole wizard stuff is so overrated. Dad walks over to me, grabs my hand, and pulls me back up. "You have exams in a week, young lady. Now come on, Lex. Just focus for a little bit."

"Fruxis Exchangus!" I yell, pointing my wand at Max. My entire body becomes rigid, and Max straightens up like a board. For a moment, everything is black. Then, as I regain my vision, my legs turn to jelly and I fall on the floor. "What was that?" I shout to my dad. He's laughing, clutching his sides, and leaning back into his reclining chair. I ignore Max lying on the ground and sucker punch my dad in the shoulder. "Dad, what just happened!"

"The spell just went wrong, that's all."

"And you're laughing about that… why?"

"Because seeing the look on your and Max's faces when your brains were moving around trying to escape was _hilarious._"

"Our brains? Dad, you said that spell was to exchange voices."

"I lied. I figured you wouldn't want Max to see what you were thinking,"

"Well, _yeah_." I say matter-of-factly, rubbing my temple. I suddenly have a very bad migraine. "I'm done for the day. Where's Harper? We need to go shopping. Zora's birthday is coming up and I bet I can find something cooler here in New York than I can in L.A. Everything there is so unoriginal, believe it or not. Harper!" Harper still lives with my family. Well, she _is _family. It isn't weird or abnormal. My parents love Harper, and sometimes I think they love having her a little more now that I'm not here. At least they still have a daughter around, right?

Harper comes into the lair. Her style hasn't changed since I left, either, no matter how much I sort of wish it had. She's wearing a dress made entirely from fruit loops.

"Feeling a little loopy today, Harper?" My dad jokes.

"As if that's different from any other day," I point out, falling backwards on the couch. Harper pushes my legs off the couch so she can sit down. "Hey!" I whine. "You know, my feet were there."

"Yeah, I know. I saw them."

"I'll leave you girls be," Dad says, grabbing Max by the shirt collar and picking him up off the floor. "Max, you can stand now. Your legs are fine. I need help in the sandwich shop."

"Are those real fruit loops?"

"Plastic."

"Darn it."

"Why?"

"Hungry."

"Pizza?"

"Tired of it."

"Hot dog vendor?"

"Requires walking."

"Pretzels?"

"Again, walking."

"Chinese food?"

"Too expensive."

"You know you live in a subway shop, right?"

"I don't want subs."

"Well what do you want?"

"Pizza."

"You're joking, right?"

--

Casey's Pizza is what every Alex Russo in the world dreams of; it's greasy, it's cheesy, and it's quite possibly the most heart clogging food you can find in New York City. I've never been able to eat a piece of pizza and even compare it to this place, and even thinking there is some Pizza restaurant out there that could compete blows my mind. It's a legacy, even if only in my little world.

Ironically, Harper and I met here. When I was seven years old, Justin, Max and I had gotten into an argument. I lunged for Justin, his lanky nine year old form crashing into our wooden floor, and Max jumped on my back. We were a Russo sandwich, complete with the mustard stain on Max's shirt from his lunch. During the struggle, my arm wedged between Justin's neck and my stomach, I kicked my leg upwards and slowly, as if the entire world was put into slow motion, the antique crystal vase that mom and dad had received as a wedding present from dad's cousin came crashing down. Tiny shards sliced through the air, ripping and tearing their way down to the floor to join us. I was paralyzed. Justin threaded his noodle arm through mine and lifted me up, all while struggling to put Max in his other arm. No one spoke. We didn't have to. We all knew the storm that was coming.

Justin tossed Max and I onto the sofa, and moved carefully around the broken vase. He slipped into sneakers and walked back where the mess was, carefully scooping up the tiny shards and whisking them into a make-shift bowl, which was only a kitchen towel cupped in his other hand. I remember looking into the dark blue towel, at the tiny pieces of what once was, and marveling at how something once so solid could turn into practically dust. Justin looked at me after he had shaken the towel out into the sink. Justin was nine then, and he was already saving me.

Long story short, mom came home. Justin had tried fixing the vase, but his spell was only powerful enough to fix half of it. She came in right as Justin and I were standing over the sink, staring into the half of the vase that was now back intact. She spoke quick, panicked Spanish that I didn't understand. I didn't know if I was in trouble or not. So, I did what any scared child would do; I ran.

The substation was littered with the afternoon rush. Dad didn't even notice as I pushed through the crowds of people waiting for a free table and out onto Waverly. My little legs pumped faster and faster, and then I stopped, so short of breath that I leaned over and sat down on the curb. Far away, I heard my name being called, mingling with the sounds of busy shoppers and hungry patrons from the restaurant behind me.

"Hi," a girl asked. She had red-brown hair, and in her hand on a plate, there were two pieces of pizza. I stood up. "I'm Harper. What's your name?"

"Alex," I said quietly. Did talking to strangers also include people my own age?

"Want some pizza?" That's all it took to spark our friendship. We sat on the curb, right outside Casey's, eating pizza. She asked me if I heard the people yelling my name, and I said yes. She asked if they were looking for me, and I said yes also. She asked me why, and I told her people were always looking for me, because I was famous, and they just wanted my autograph. She believed me. I look over at Harper now as we walk down Waverly towards Casey's, and as we sit down at the same curb, I smile. Maybe one day people really will be asking for my autograph.

"What are you smiling about?" Harper asks, taking a bite of her cheese and pineapple pizza.

"I love it there."

"You seem happy," she says.

"I am." I take a bite of my pizza. "Harper?"

"Yeah?"

"I think I'm in love." She drops her pizza on the plate, a little pool of grease gathering at the bottom where it's slanted on her lap. I wonder why I just said what I did, but I can't take it back. Her dress creaks as she turns to look at me, the plastic fruit loops scratching against each other.

"Alex, people in Hollywood are _bad. _They do drugs and stuff! Don't you read the tabloids?" Typical Harper. She _would _bring up tabloids. "Don't date another Dean, Alex. He was a _bad boy._"

"I'm not dating, or thinking about dating, another Dean." I pause. "It's more like a Dean…ette. Without the leather jacket or unhealthy obsession with cars. I doubt Sonny even knows a thingerdoodle from a whatchamacallit, whatever those car terms are that Dean would try and teach me."

"_Sonny?!_"

There are moments in life where you want everything to just stop. You want the wind to stop blowing, the sun to stop shining, and the grass to stop growing. Everything just has to stop. The only thing that's stopping now is my heart, and my breathing, and any notion that I'm alive. My entire body is rigid with fear. What is Harper thinking?

"I…" Pause. "I, well, yeah. Sonny." I mumble.

"Sonny."

"Yes, Sonny."

"Like, Sonny your co-star Sonny?"

"That's the only Sonny I know."

"Sonny."

"Didn't we already go through this?" I'm frustrated. I stand, walking over to the trash can and I toss my hardly eaten slice of pizza into the trash can. Suddenly I'm not very hungry. My feet start moving away from Casey's, away from Harper, and away from the problem. Sometimes I wish I could run fast, because if I ran fast enough, maybe I could run away from all my problems. They always seem to be faster than me. Harper grabs my arm and pulls me to a stop.

"Come on, we should talk."

"I don't want to talk,"

"Yes you do,"

"No I don't,"

"Yes you do," she says in that sarcastic, baby talk, whiney voice. I turn to look at her. She's doing the puppy-dog pout. Ugh. "So, Sonny, huh?"

"Yes, I think I like Sonny, a lot. We kissed, and now I can't stop thinking about her. It's driving me _mad _Harper, absolutely mad. And yesterday, when no one could find her, yeah, sure, I acted all cool and calm and easy-going regular every day Alex but inside I was flipping out! That shouldn't be _me. _I was never like that with Dean! And she's a girl, and I'm confused, and I'm scared, and please don't hate me." Breathe, Alex. Breathe.

"I don't hate you," Harper says soothingly. This is the calmest and most "normal" I've ever seen Harper. It's almost creepy. "In fact, good for you. At least it's not a creepy biker boy."

"Are you serious?" I feel like my cheeks are going to explode any second from smiling.

"Yeah, but as soon as she gets a motorcycle and dyes her hair multiple colors, that relationship isn't going to work for me anymore."

"Ha," I kick at a rock on the ground. "Nothing is going to come of it. We," I put up air quotes with my fingers. "talked, and she just started rambling about how she was sorry. Then she walked away. Nothing will come of it-" There is a huge explosion, and Harper and I go tumbling to the ground. We look over and in the distance we see Casey's in flames. My breathing is rough, and I can feel Harper shaking next to me. Screams fill my ears and I cringe, as if I was hearing nails on a chalkboard. Harper grabs my hand and squeezes it, finding any reassurance that we are here and alive. People run in our direction covering their mouths from the ash and smoke, their clothes littered in black and grey dusk. Some run around us, others trip over our trembling bodies. We were _just _there. We were sitting out on the curb.

Black clouds billow in the air, and as we lay there trying to regain any feeling of reality, I swear in the mix of ash, sparks, and flames, I see the sketchy outline of a name forming.

Alex Russo.

I was running away from something. Something has caught up.

--

**Ooo, plots. ;D**

**Review please, and let me know what YOU think is going to happen.**


	8. Consequence

**Well, yeah. Finally finished this chapter. Yeah… **

--

Sometimes, there isn't time to think. You just have to do what you have to, and take the consequences later.

--

I see the news station truck before I see the actual reporters. Everything is a blur; the cameras being set up, Harper next to me pulling me away, me running my fingers through my ashy hair. Flash, flash, flash. Someone is taking my picture, and pictures of the smoke, and pictures of the little girl who is walking from the smoky cloud behind us carrying a little satchel and wearing only a portion of her dress. Harper's nails dig into my wrist so hard that I wonder if she drew blood. Somehow, I'm in the sub shop now. Mom's hugging me, and Dad's hugging Harper, and then they switch. Max is pressing himself against the glass of the window to look outside.

"Mom!" I hear Max shout. "Mom, _look_, look at the smoke! Maybe I can bottle it and remember this day forever." No one pays any attention to him. Harper is covered with dirt. There is a scratch on her hand from the cement. My hands are scratched up, too.

"Mr. Russo," Harper says, her eyes wide with a nervous excitement. I panic and dig my nails in Harper's arm. "Ouch!"

"No," I whisper into her ear.

"No, what?" Mom is brushing some dirt from Harper's shoulder and simultaneously staring at me with concern. I bite my lip and look at Harper. She's frightened, I can tell. She saw it too. I'm not crazy. "Alex, honey, what is it? Are you alright? Jerry, maybe we should take the girls in to the hospital. Look, there are paramedics outside. Come on, Harper, Alex-"

"No!" I yell. Before I know what I'm doing, I'm running up the stairs and into our apartment. Justin is on the couch with the remote in his hand, eagerly looking at the television. He has the news on, and the explosion is already airing. He sees me and immediately notices the dirt, smut, and ash, and the rather gruesome looking cut on my arm from where I slid across the cement. "Not now, Justin." I keep running up the stairs and in to my bedroom, not bothering the shut the door behind me. I know Justin will barge in anyway, and I only have a matter of time before my parents come up looking for me too. How long will it take Harper to tell them what happened?

"Alex, were you down there? Were you in that explosion?"

"Yes," I say quickly, looking under my bed for where I tossed my bag.

"Are you alright?"

"_Yes,_" I seethe.

"Alex, slow down. What's going on?" My mind is reeling. I don't know what I expect to get from finding my spell book. Perhaps there is some remedy for my current state of insanity, I don't know. I just want answers. I want magical answers that make everything seem real. " Alex, Alex!" Justin shouts my name and pulls at my arm. I fall back, on my good arm, thank goodness, and I let Justin pull me up. Exhaustion, that's all I really feel. He pulls me into his arm and holds me, and I let a few drops of tears drop down onto his shirt. "Come here," he lugs my numb body over to the bed and sits me down, then kneels in front of me. "What's going on? Did you hit your head? Are you hurt?"

"Justin, you're going to think I'm crazy."

"I already think you're crazy, so whatever you need to tell me I'm sure it won't affect how I already see you."

"Harper and I were talking," I choke out. It's getting hard to breathe. "We had just left Casey's. We should have still been there, Justin. We could have still been there." He rubs my shoulder and I take a deep breath. "We were talking, and all of a sudden, the explosion happened. It was so powerful, Justin, and Harper and I went flying. That's how I got this," I pointed to the still bleeding cut on my arm, and flinched when I touched it. "But when we looked up," Pause. "When we looked up, Justin, we saw…" I wonder if my face is as white as Justin's is. "Justin, the smoke. It spelled out my name. It said Alex Russo."

Neither of us spoke. Justin's thin smile turned grim and hard, and his entire facial features froze up. I can feel his hand shaking on my arm, and his grip tightens.

"Are you absolutely positive?"

"Harper saw it too,"

"When we went on vacation and we had to get the stone of dreams," he says. "Alex, that was just you and me. We were a team. We trusted each other. You need to trust me again." I can't wrap my thoughts around what Justin is saying. I don't understand. I'm shaking my head, but he's shaking his back, and finally he brings his hands and places them on my shoulders. His grip is so tight that it hurts. "Please, Alex. Don't tell dad this."

"What's going on?" I'm panicking. He can hear it in my voice.

"I don't know." He admits. "Not really. But, look, whatever this is, it's you and me again. It's Justin and Alex."

"I'm scared."

"Me too."

--

Mom and dad are waiting downstairs when Justin and I appear. Justin quietly exits, none to the wiser, and mom rushes over to me and hugs me again. I look over her shoulder at Harper who shakes her head. She didn't tell them. Somewhere inside of me, something is breaking. Is it relief, or just another layer of fear crumbling inside of me building to the rubble? Mom starts looking at my cut and drags me to the bathroom to clean it out. She talks and talks, and keeps saying how relieved she is that Harper and I are safe, and I know she's holding back the rest of the tears that she wants to cry. It's not like my mom to cry in front of her children. She's too proud, she's too stubborn. She's not going to breakdown. I admire that, even envy it a little. Right now, it's taking everything inside of me to hold true to what I promised Justin. A secret is a secret, no matter how difficult it is to keep.

The thing that bothers me most is how much this is eating at me inside. It doesn't make any sense. Is someone after me? Was it just a prank from someone we know in the other world? Why, though, would someone in the other world try and prank me by injuring and possibly killing so many people? Suddenly, my heart drops. Is this the first time something has happened that nearly caused my death? No, it's not. It's not even the first time in a month.

_What happened is still a blur to me. I remember yelling Sonny's name. I remember pushing myself up off the floor so quickly that when I twisted my ankle as I stood, the pain couldn't overpower the overwhelming fear that pumped through me. And I remember most specifically the feeling of running straight towards Sonny, my body colliding with hers, and then crashing onto the cold cement floor. When I hit her, it felt like we were flying for the briefest moment. Up, our feet off the ground, flying away from the danger. We were birds flying away from the single rainy cloud, except this was not a cloud filled with rain, but a huge stage light falling freely from its holders on the ceiling. And as I saw the light falling quicker and quicker, I realized that the impact the light would make on the floor would be much worse than the impact Sonny and I made. I scrambled backwards, dragging Sonny with me, as far as I could go before the light hit the floor._

_And it hit. It hit hard, loud, and, for lack of a better word, __violently, __like the light was angry at something and was taking it out on the ground. Sonny gripped my arm tighter. There would be a bruise, but I didn't care. I tightened the grip on her hand just as hard. I could hear Marshall shouting, but both of us were too paralyzed to move._

My arm starts burning and I flinch back away from whatever my mom is putting on the cut. She starts mumbling in Spanish as soon as it spills onto the floor, and I rinse my arm off under the sink.

"Alex!" she shouts.

"It hurts!" The memory, my arm, it hurts, it all hurts. I remember that no one ever knew why that light fell. It was secure, Marshall said. There was no reason for it to fall. The accident investigation report had noinkling as to the reason for the sudden mishap. We all joked about it afterwards. Never once did I think that something magical had caused that to happen.

My memory is flooded with little incidents over the past month. The most seemingly innocent of accidents now look deathly, planned, premeditated, whatever you want to call it. Sonny and I crossing the street and that car nearly forgetting to stop; the day I tripped and fell just inches away from an upturned knife that had fallen from the counter top. How many near-accidents does it take before they're no longer accidents?

"Maybe you should stay home for a few days," my mom suggests.

"No," I shake my head. "I have to get back to work. Anyway, I have plans tomorrow afternoon. It's Zora's birthday party." My eyes look down to my watch and then back to my mother. "In fact, I should go now. I'm just going to take a shower and then get back." Mom is hesitant, but she backs out of the room and shuts the door. I flip the faucet on in the shower and let steam fill the bathroom. I don't get into the shower yet, but instead sit on the edge of the tub and breathe in all the steamy, hot air.

Sometimes, there just isn't time to think. You just have to do what you have to do.

I slip backwards into the bathtub, letting the water wash away the world around me.

--

"You know," Sonny says, eyeing a stripped green and brown pair of leggings. "I really have no idea what to get Zora." Her hand falls across the fabric, but she grimaces at its touch. I, too, run a hand across and back away.

"You've known her longer than I have," I point out, picking up a headless pig statue. "Shouldn't you know?"

"We're not very close," she mumbles. "What about this?" I turn and look at what she's holding. Laughing seems to be the only thing I could muster. Sonny is holding a fuzzy yellow bird marionette. I don't even know if I can call it a bird, though. It's mostly a massive ball of tangled fake fur. "I think it's cute!" Sonny whines defensively. I collect myself and grab the marionette from her, eyeing the beady black eyes buried deep within the mass of hair. It has an orange beak, too, I note. I wouldn't have noticed if I didn't take it from Sonny.

"She'd like it," I nod. "I really think she would."

"I do too." She huffs and then smiles at me. "Should we get her that silk kimono too? She'd use it in a sketch one day." Once again, I nod and then go to hand the bird back to her. Our hands brush briefly, and the marionette tumbles to the floor, letting the strings knot together. "Sorry!" she falls to the ground to collect the puppet and untangle the strings. I lean down to help, and after a few moments, he is free of the tangled weave.

"My fault," I grumble. "Let's just get the dress thing."

"Kimono."

"Oh, whatever." The salesperson behind the counter peeks an eye above the crest of her book to look at us. We're the only ones in the store, and we're making noise. Sonny's cheeks redden when she realizes we're being watched and her pace quickens. "This one?" I point to a blue and silver kimono made of fake silky material. "Or what about that?" There is another nearer Sonny which is orange, blue and silver with a floral pattern. "I'm thinkin' this one." She grabs the orange one and we examine it.

"You really like this one?"

"I think Zora will like this one. I don't really like any of them."

"I had one in Wisconson."

"Why?" I laugh.

"I don't know," she admits. "There is just this picture of me when I was about eight and I'm wearing a bright red and gold kimono with a dragon wrapping around the entire dress. Don't ask me where I got it. I really don't know."

"I want to see this picture,"

"If I can see your baby pictures."

"I don't have any here."

"What do you mean you don't have any here?"

"They're in New Year with my pa-" I pause. "My pa-ternal uncle. Yeah, when we all moved out here it just seemed like such a hassle to lug everything. We left a lot with my Uncle Kelso just to save some time and space here. We didn't really know if this whole acting thing was going to work out for me."

"You're really good, Alex. On the show. People love you." Her hand grabs mine and I look up. Something is telling me to kiss her. Something inside of me is aching to kiss her. Just one more time, Alex. Just once more. Just lean in. Take a risk.

"We should pay for this stuff," I let go of her hand, grab the kimono and head to the front register, leaving Sonny behind in the back of the store. I'm paying already by the time she reaches my side, a dazed expression on her face. The cashier takes my mom and without a goodbye or see you again soon picks up her book and goes back to reading. Without hesitating, I grab the bag and my change and head out the door, into the big mall and towards the exit near Sonny's car.

"Alex?"

"Yeah?" I say, not turning around as I reach the little blue car.

"I-" Sonny stops. I hear nothing behind me except the crunch of gravel. Suddenly, the wind picks up. My body slowly twists around, despite the wind pushing me in the opposite direction. The sky, before a light, pale, cloudless blue, turns a deep grey with strips of angry pink lining the sky.

"Sonny?" I yell, looking around. She was right behind me. I drop the bag and run towards the back of the car and see Sonny's cow keychain with her car keys and house keys on it. My heart thumps wildly against my chest as I begin running down the aisle of the parking lot screaming my friend's name. Over and over again, I scream. My voice is hoarse and my throat feels like it's on fire. The cut on my arm burns and I can feel a sticky liquid sliding down my arm and dripping onto the pavement. Then I see it: at the end of the lot, at the very, very back, a dark hooded figure with a motionless, numb girl lying helplessly in its arms. Running as fast as I can, I feel like my feet could break away parts of the earth. A thin vapor of smoke burns my eyes, but I run through it. I can still see the shadow of Sonny and her captor. My hand extends and I can almost touch her.

My entire world shatters as I leap across the hot pavement towards whoever took Sonny. I slide across the gravel, pebbles digging into my flesh like thousands of tiny knives, and my head knocks violently against the curved curb of the parking lot island. The sky is again blue, and the black smoky vapor has vanished. A tiny piece of paper flits across the air and down onto my stomach. On it, an address, a time, and one word scrawled in tiny, curved letters.

_Dead. _

I stand up and walk back to Sonny car, picking up the keys, and then starting the ignition. My arm is dripping blood onto the panel as I put the car into reverse and speed out of the parking lot. In the mirror, I can see a gash on my head with blood already drying.

What I'm doing, it's stupid.

This is very, very stupid.

--

**Rawr. Let me know what you think. Review, please?**

**-Elise**


	9. Hide and Seek

**We're almost finished. **

"If the people we love are stolen from us, the way to have them live on is to never stop loving them. Buildings burn, people die, but real love is forever."

--

When I was six years old, I broke my arm. My mom and dad had taken us kids to a carnival while we were visiting my grandparents in Texas. It was one of those carnivals built in a church parking lot with an adult's only tent and a game tent with overpriced cheap prizes and only a few rides. There was a baby ferris wheel with a few children on it, a giant, blow up obstacle course, a pen with two ponies and one of those teacup spin things. In the middle of it all was a giant rock climbing wall. I remember pleading with my mom to let me try it, but it was a resounding no from both parents. Even Justin was denied. It's not safe, my parents said.

It was just my luck that evening that Max had eaten one too many swirls of cotton candy. His never-ending vomit came at the perfect moment. As mom and dad ushered him away into a port – o – potty, Justin and I were being ordered to stay right outside the door and to not move a muscle. Justin, they said, was in charge.

As soon as the door to the toilet closed, I made my move. Justin reached out to grab my wrist before I could run away but I was too fast for him and he was too clumsy to even make it a few steps before falling. There were four sides to the wall, and only one was out of view of the toilet and completely empty of people. With a quick look to my left, and then to my right, my wand slipped from my pocket and I tapped the wall three times. I thought I was so wise and wonderful when the harness attached itself around my small, slender body. Never did it occur to me that I was _too _small and _too _slender to fit properly in it. I was in it, and that's all that mattered.

I climbed up and up until I reached a good half way. No one was looking. I looked over to my right, but still no one joined me on my side of the wall. I could hear the giggles and chatter of the older children on the opposite side. Then, I looked down.

And I barfed.

A lot.

The height astounded me. It scared me. It took me by surprise. With one slick movement, I fell backwards and down, spiraling towards a yellow patch of grass and the surrounding dirt. Instead of people hooked into my harness properly, I slipped from it and as I hit the ground, all I could hear was the cracking of my bones. I already knew that my parents were looking for me by now. As tears cascaded from my eyes and watered the grass, I could hear them shouting my name and the groans of little Max from his stomach ache. Justin found me first, and, stifling a laugh at the puke in my hair, he picked me up and looked at my arm. We spent the rest of the night at the hospital. Mom and dad yelled at me for weeks after that.

And now I'm doing it again. I'm running away from Justin and going to do something on my own, even though I know it's stupid. The only thing that's different this time is that I know that I'm not wise or wonderful. I don't have spectacular magical abilities that will help me this time. All I know is I'm climbing up a rock wall and every rock is getting smaller and more slippery. The car doesn't seem to be going fast enough as I drive through the streets. My phone is ringing, but it's my mom's ringtone. I ignore it and press down harder on the gas. Someone beeps their horn and gives me the finger as I pass them.

When I pull into studio parking, the guard doesn't give me a second glance. They know who I am. When I turn left, however, instead of right, I silently pray they don't notice that I'm going to a different studio. As I flick past the lots into the construction zone, I can't help but keep looking in my mirror, waiting for a security officer to pull up behind me and ask what I'm doing in a restricted zone. And the more nervous I get, the stupider I feel. I pull the car into a spot and put it in park. When I get out, I don't bother to lock it. Behind this building, there is nothing but half built studios that were abandoned after money fell through. I toss the keys into my back pocket and grab my bag from the back with my wand, spell book, and wallet rest.

The note is still in my pocket. It feels like it could burn through the material of my jeans and permanently brand my flesh. I let my fingers graze over the paper in my pocket. Something feels so wrong. I take one last look at the car, grab my phone, and begin to walk towards what would be Studio 32B. Gravel crunches under my feet with each step. _Crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch; _it's all I hear. There is a bird sitting at the very top of the roof, but he just stares at me with two beady black eyes, as if following my every step. A shiver runs up my spine as he takes flight; he flies directly into a top window of 32B. One last deep breath and I dig my nails into the crevice of the door and pull as hard as I can. Surprisingly, it squeaks open easily and I stumble backwards a bit. I walk in, and the door shuts behind me by itself. Now, it's dark.

"Hello, Alexandra." It seems so cliché. I've watched enough horror movies to know that when the creepy door closes behind you and the mysterious voice that summoned you here knows your name, it's time to run. But I've never been a smart one. So I stay, turn slowly, and squint to try and make out what's talking. The lights flick on though. In the distance, I see Sonny lying sprawled on the ground, unconscious. My feet react before my brain, and I take off running towards her. As soon as I reach close enough, though, I hit something and I fall backwards. I stand up, and walk slowly to her again with my hand outstretched. Instead of being able to touch her, though, my hand stops in mid air, as though something invisible is blocking my way. I knock against the air, and sure enough, a noise echoes back. I walk around and around her body to feel for something break in the shield. "You can't touch her, Alex. You can only help her."

"How can I help her if I can't get to her?"

"It's quite simple, really." The voice says nonchalantly. "Just give me your magic." I don't even hear footsteps but the voice is standing behind me now, speaking in my ear. "That's all you have to do." I can't turn around before he is gone again. "You're extraordinary, did you know? You really are. You've no _idea _the power you possess, and you don't even care!" A cold hand snakes around my waist and holds me in place. My body is paralyzed. I can't move my head or twist my body. Not even my fingers can bend. "The things you could do," he hisses. "The things you could have," A sharp intake of breath. "And you waste your time charming your way onto a television show."

"I didn't charm my way onto anything," My lips are stiff and sore. It's difficult to talk, and my words come out in a jumbled mess. "I got onto the show because of my audition."

"Whatever you'd like to call it," His arm leaves my body and I fall down to the ground, now able to move. Despite the burning in my arm, I turn every which way to catch a glimpse of whoever is speaking. There is no one but Sonny and I. "Would you like to know who I am?"

"No. I'd rather continue playing hide and seek,"

"That's going to cost you." Pain rips through my body and I fall back on the ground clutching my, what was, uninjured arm. Sticky, goopy blood soaks my hand and the sleeve of my shirt. A fresh gash runs from just above my elbow and up a few inches. "I don't appreciate your snarky remarks, Russo." I take in a deep breath hoping to push the pain out of my mind. I lean against my right knee and push myself up to a standing position.

"You want my magic," I cough and a tiny cloud of dust puffs out of my mouth. "Why mine? There are thousands of Wizards in New York alone. What's so special about me?" That's when I see him. In a sultry saunter, his dark hair sleeked back with gel, he walks towards me: Jay, Sonny's step-brother. I look at Sonny on the ground. _I should have listened to you, _I think.

"You look surprised," he smiles. I actually find it sort of charming, that lopsided grin. "It's like you didn't even see this coming. I find that hard to believe," Jay kneels down closer to Sonny than I am allowed to get. His hand, so large and rough, skims Sonny's cheek. "She warned you about me, I'm sure. How before our parents met, I lured her away during the homecoming football game. How so naïve and childish she was to walk away with someone like me, someone older and more experienced. And like the freshmen she was, she stepped right into the empty locker room with me. Did she tell you that, Alex?" I gulp. No, she didn't tell me that, I think. "Did she tell you how I locked the door behind me and backed her into a corner?" His hand runs down her face and onto her neck. "What about that I kissed her, and she screamed, Alex. She _screamed _as I pulled down her jeans. Did she tell you that?" I cry one tear. Just one. "And then when I was through with her, the little slut cried. She cried and cried beautiful tears." Two more tears. "And you know the best part?" His hand slips under her shirt. My entire body shakes. "On the night of our parents wedding, her mom left her with us at my mom's house. And all night long, she cried, Alex. All those tears."

"Don't touch her," I croak.

"And right now, Alex. I'm going to make you watch."

"Not her," I wipe away any stray tears. "Do whatever you want with me. Just please, stop hurting her."

"Don't get me wrong, Alex." His hand pulls off Sonny's shirt, exposing her plain blue bra. "You're attractive. Beyond so, really. But this is going to hurt you more than anything I could do to you. You could give me your magic right now,"

"Take it," I hiss. "I don't want it. Just let us go."

"Slow down," he smiles pleasantly. "Let's take this a step at a time, yes? You don't want to leave just yet, do you? We're just getting started. It's a beautiful day out, Alex. Let's not waste it." His finger unbuckles a single hook of his belt. My stomach churns and flips. Behind me, the tinkling of shattered glass meets my ears. A stream of light highlights a side of Sonny's face. Jay is no longer by Sonny, but across the room. My eyes bulge when I see who he is standing next to. Justin, with his wand in hand, stares defiantly back at Jay. In a split second decision, I charge towards Sonny. During the minute of distraction, Jay's charm broke. I lean down and touch Sonny's face, whispering in her ear.

"Sonny, wake up." I shake her shoulders a little bit.

"She's not going to wake up, you moron." Jay hisses. A wand is in his hand as well. "She's under a spell."

"Who is this guy, Alex?" Justin yells. I don't have time to speak. In an instant, Jay's body melts to the floor. He then turns solid and, with a very loud thump, falls into a similar position as Sonny. Where Jay was standing before, however, a woman is standing. She is very recognizable, and to my horror, Justin didn't even seem surprised or shocked. Our Aunt Megan stood with a wand now. Justin only held his up higher. "Nevermind." He yells again. Sonny is still not stirring. I leave her for a moment, bring out my wand, and walk closer to where Megan and Justin are. "Alex get Sonny and leave."

"No."

"Alex,"

"I'm not leaving you. We're a team, remember?"

"Oh this is adorable," Megan laughs. "I mean, really. You two are cute. It's hard to believe you're my brother's children." She stops her laughing and turns to me, but keeps her wand on Justin. "Come on, Alex. Give me the magic. Just give it to me."

"This magic?" Justin reaches into his pocket and pulls out a gold chain with a gold locket on the end. "This is what you want, right Megan?" I watch Justin from one eye, and out the other, Sonny. The locket glints in the sun and waves back and forth from Justin's index finger. "Alex doesn't have it. I do."

"You have the locket," she sneers. "You don't _have_ the magic. It kills you, doesn't it, Justin? That your little sister will win the Wizard competition. Alex is going to win, and she will get all the powers, and you will have nothing, not even your life." My head jerks to look at just Justin now. A thin layer of perspiration paints his forehead. I don't understand what they're talking about. Megan seems to have forgotten about Sonny and I, now, and I back up to kneel down next to her. "You're a smart boy. You know how this goes down. Just give me the locket and leave. Don't you see, Justin? You could at least keep _some _magic for a little while. Max is no competition for you." I crack the spell book open and quietly flip through pages, but I keep glancing up at the two. "Just give me your sister. It won't last very long. She'll barely feel a thing." A quick jolt runs up my arm, and through clenched teeth, I suck in air. My eyes shut for a moment, but I shake my head and try and focus on the spell. "_You know how this ends,"_ Justin glances over at me. I know he's telling me to hurry up and find a spell. We can't carry Sonny out unconscious. She's too heavy. My fingers slip from page to page, until I finally find what I'm looking for. Quietly, I recite the spell. "Give it to me,"

"Now, Justin!" Sonny's eyes burst open, but she's weak. Justin, with one quick, swift movement of his elbow, emits a red glowing ball from his wand, which soars into Megan's stomach. Her own wand moves just as fast, despite the pain I know she's in. Justin dodges a spell and rolls to the side. "Sonny, we have to go." I pant. My head feels light and dizzy. How much blood have I lost today? "Come on, let's go." She can't speak yet. It comes out in all grumbled garbles. Her eyes are heavy and they open and shut. "Sonny, please." I can't pick her up. Justin and Megan are still fighting, and spells are bouncing off incomplete walls. Dust clouds fill the air. I grab Sonny under the arms and drag her closer to the door. "This is really important, Sonny. Can you hear me?" Her head bobs once. "Take these keys," My hand takes the keys from my pocket and stuffs them in Sonny's hand. She doesn't clench her fist, so I clench it for her. _She's too weak,_ I think. "The car is around the building. Don't stop until you get to the car, okay?" I leave her, running towards Justin. I don't turn around, because I know she's still there. I know she couldn't understand and I know that she's too groggy to get up and run.

"How do you even have _magic_?" I scream, casting a defensive spell I only learned two days ago. "You lost your magic. You didn't get the family magic! Dad did! And he gave it to Kelbo."

"It's easy to steal what you need." Her orange burst of light flickered as it neared me. Jumping to the left, it only brushed my arm. It burned like a cigarette, and then cooled quickly. With only a second to look behind me, I see the orange crash into a support beam. It shakes and crumbles.

"Uh, Justin?" I yell. Another spell hits another support beam. I look at Jay's motionless body, and then at Sonny, who is slumped against the door. "Justin!"

"A little busy here, Alex." I run over to Sonny.

"Alex?" she mumbles, stirring her feat a little bit. "What's going on?"

"You need to get yourself out of here." I say quickly. "Go, please. Sonny, go."

"My throat," Her voice crackles. "I-" Sonny's scream is silent. I don't have enough time to reach out and grab her before she is swept, almost poetically, into the air. Megan has one armed firmly looped around Sonny's waist, and her other holds onto a ceiling beam. My eyes flicker back and forth between Justin and Sonny, who is now fully alert and awake. She's wriggling and kicking her legs back and forth. I kick up from the ground and run to be next to Justin, who I shove out of the way. My knuckles turn white as I hold my wand in my hand, pointing it directly at Megan's chest.

"What are you going to do?" Megan slurs. Her grip loosens on Sonny's waist and she slips a little, but not enough to fall to the floor. "You hit me with a spell, she goes down too. It's a long way down. Concrete hurts." Panic is stricken across Sonny's face. I snatch the locket from Justin's hand and toss it across the room. It skips across the cement like a stone over water. All three turn their heads turn towards the locket, but I keep my gaze on Megan.

"Go ahead." I say. "Take it."

"Alex, what have you done?" Justin whispers harshly in my ear. The corners of Megan's mouth twitch but it's not quite a smile. Her arm opens and Sonny falls. Neither her or I have time to scream before Justin pushes me back and stands directly under Sonny. The two fall backwards together, miraculously unharmed. I kick off my shoes, though, and let me socks slip off with them. My jacket falls to the side and I start to run. Megan is faster than I am, but as she dropped Sonny, she also dropped one more thing, thinking she wouldn't need it: her wand. With my own securely in my right hand, I wave it three times then slash the air. A thick rope spews from the tip of my wand and narrowly misses Megan. It trips her, though, and now we're neck and neck, racing for the same small, golden trinket. I cast another spell, letting a stream of yellow light crash into yet another support beam, which crumbles to peices. The building groans a little. I can hear Justin behind me yelling. And then I dive, as though off a diving board into a swimming pool, and let my body slide across hard cement. My hand clasps around the locket just a second before Megan, who lets out a bloodthirsty scream. My elbow digs into her ribs, while my head clenches around her throat. She tumbles down to the ground with me, and with a single, low punch, I dig my fist into her stomach.

"You bitch," I mutter. Long, manicured nails scratch into my arm, creating three long, shallow gashes. She struggles under me, and finally flips me off to the side. My head crashes against the pavement. "Why did you take Jay? Why did you use his body?" I ask, regaining my balance. We're circling each other now.

"It was perfect. My entire plan all along was just to use Sonny's body. You two were getting _so close,_" The words sting. "When I saw how you reacted when I made the light fall, well, I just knew how much you cared. It wasn't the same way you cared about Harper or your parents or your brothers, it was special. I knew she was special to you, Alex. I started watching her, waiting for an emotionally weak point so I could enter her body. Then Jay came, and I got curious." Her eyes look over to Jay, who is still unconscious. "Sonny was so _upset _over his appearance. It was the perfect time to do the spell I could control her, but I decided to wait. I wanted to know _why _she was so upset. And that's when I found her precious little diary stashed in a drawer." My memory flashes back to when Sonny and I were cleaning her room. The pink notebook. "I read everything. The story of the rape, and the repeated rapes after that. How curious that someone's family was more screwed up than ours. I knew then that I had to control Jay. It wasn't easy, you know. But you helped. After your guys smooch in Sonny's room, his emotions were all wacky. Easiest spell I've ever done."

"How did you steal magic?"

"An old folks home in the Wizard part of the world. They're so loopy and out of it, they don't realize what they're giving up. You could learn things from me, you know. More than your dimwitted father could ever teach you,"

"If you're so smart, why didn't you get the family magic to begin with?" Her eyes narrow.

"I was smart enough to figure out why Jerry gave Kelbo the magic, wasn't I? I was smart enough to lure you here, and your brother, and smart enough to know how to steal magic, wasn't I?"

"Congratulations, you're a criminal. I'm sure Nonna is really proud of you."

"Oh don't bring my _mother _into this." She scoffs.

"You brought me into this! You brought my brother and my best friend into this!"

"You were _born _into this, Alex! God, do you still not see? Do you still not understand? You a-" From the corner of my eye I see Justin leap from behind. Sonny yelps as a bright of purple light streaks from Justin's wand and one more support beam falls. The blast from the spell flings me backward and, after hitting the ground, I scramble back towards Sonny. Sonny grabs my wrist and pulls me into her side. Justin and Megan are fighting, but as Justin is gaining the upper hand, he slips over a piece of broken glass. Megan, knowing this is to her advantage, doesn't waste a second.

Megan runs. She is now powerless, the stolen wand and magic left behind, and I have the locket. Her eyes meet mine as she turns around to take one last look. I know it's not over. What was Megan going to say before Justin tackled her? What don't I know?

The building creaks and shakes. I look at Sonny, whose eyes look bloodshot and tired, and at Justin who is slowly and carefully walking back towards us. And then it happens: every sway of the building can be felt. We all eye each other very carefully, but it's Justin who breaks first.

"Get out of here!"

"Jay!" I point to his body to the far right. I've never felt so much hatred towards someone, and the sadistic side of me wants to leave him here for the building to crush his body. But I can't do that. I can't be that person. And Sonny, who doesn't even know that I know about the rape, agrees. She can't do that to her step-father or her step-siblings. Justin rushes over, leaving me to handle Sonny. Her legs still shake as she stands up, and I sling her arm around her shoulder, lugging her body along with me. A heavy pain is coming from my chest. How many injuries do I have? I'm wheezing and panting, and both arms itch and sting. The building crackles again and I pull Sonny with me quicker. She's starting to regain her energy, and no longer are her feet shuffling, but rather a glide here and a step here. Justin is behind me, and soon we're all at the door.

Outside in the sun, I relax. Megan is gone, for now. The pocket is sitting loosely in my pocket, the chain falling down the side of my leg. I pull it out and toss it to Justin, who catches it clumsily in one hand, heaving Jay with his other arm. It's really funny, watching Justin drag Jay's body. The two are complete opposites; one, dark, mysterious, dangerous, the other… well, just Justin.

Sonny and I stop for a moment to catch our breaths while Justin goes ahead.

"Sonny," I whisper. "This all…"

"We'll talk later," she clutches her side, but then looks at my own injuries. Her hand falls to my left arm, where the deepest of all injuries lay. "Oh god," her face pales.

"It's not bad," I lie. "It's fine."

"ALEX!" Justin is screaming. I look up and immediately grab Sonny under the arm and run. The building, once sturdily built, is collapsing. The faster Sonny and I run, the faster it falls. Sonny is sluggish. The harder I pull her the more difficult it is. Thinking quickly, something I'm not even good at doing slowly, I shove her as hard as I can ahead of me. Her feet trip over each other but she gets as far as she can. Once more, I find myself tripping over dirt and stone, tumbling and pounding against hard earth. I roll and roll.

Darkness.

--

**One chapter after this, then either an epilogue or a sequel. Let me know in the reviews what you want to see. I've finished the next chapter. I'll post it tomorrow. All I have to do is edit.**

**-Elise**

**Review please. **


	10. Bill Cosby

**I've literally had the first probably five pages of this written since Chapter 2. This word document is ten pages. I hope you enjoy. The story was mapped out for an awfully long time.**

"Sonny!" As the wall comes crumbling down, my heart stops. Nothing around me is alive. Nothing is in color. Gray grass, black sky, white walls… everything is dead. Soon enough, my world is spinning, I am out of control. Mom, dad, Justin, Max, I see all of them! Oh, and there's Sonny. She's walking towards me, eyes no longer the milky brown I had become accustomed to. They are now cold, black, and full of death. That is all I see. Her skin is so pale and fragile, and it looks translucent. Grey lips, grey hair, grey nails: where is _my _Sonny? Her dress hangs loosely on her body. It's not a dress I've ever seen before. Its sleeves are a quarter length and the skirt of the dress falls just past her knees. There is nothing unique or special about it. It is plain, it is ordinary, it is nothing but a sheet of fabric to cover her ghostly skin. She's coming closer, and closer, and closer! My body trembles as her arm extends, her fingers flexing, and now they touch my face. They are so cold that I flinch. The tips of her fingers burn my skin like fire. I retreat a few steps. This isn't Sonny. Sonny is bright, she is colorful, and she is _alive. _The fingers grope for me again, this time missing by mere inches. It's getting dark now. Her eyes start to glow. Can she see me, even in this dark? I trip and stumble over my own feet, desperately searching for an escape from this monster that has taken Sonny. "Sonny!" I cry out. Where is Sonny? Where is the _real _Sonny? "Sonny!" I yell again, straining my ears for some sort of noise, a pin dropping, a shoe against the concrete floor, something, anything! My heart is beating again, but it's beating so quickly that I wonder if I myself am alive. I am screaming Sonny's name now. Why isn't she coming for me? Where is she? Can she not hear me? Sonny!

I am awake now. My breathing is uneven. I can feel a needle sticking in my arm and I try to rip it out. Tears are streaming down my face, but I don't take the effort to push them away, to tell them that they aren't wanted here, to yell at them for coming out. Someone is gripping my wrist and pulling it away from the IV line. She is saying my name. Although everything is color now, my world is still black. I have to find Sonny. "No, stop!" I can hear myself yelling. "I have to find Sonny!" My hands are ripping away from the hands that are trying to confine me. My legs shake, the bed shakes, the room shakes; it is an earthquake of Alex anger. Suddenly the hands leave mine, but as I go to lunge for the line one more time, they take my face instead. We fight, but in the end, the hands win. My world is flooded with color.

Those hands belong to Sonny Monroe. Her eyes are that milky brown that makes me melt, her skin the perfect complexion of pale. Her fingers stroke my cheek, leaving tingles in their wake. It burns, but in a good way this time. Her lips are a rosy pink, and her cheeks have color. It's Sonny. Something inside me bursts, and new, fresh tears break through. I wrap my arms around her neck, pulling her down on top of me and I sob into her shoulder. "I thought you were dead," I mumble between sobs. "I'm so sorry, Sonny. I'm so sorry I put you through any of this." She strokes my tangled hair and shushes me. Is she really comforting _me _right now? She pulls away, and for a second, I consider grabbing her and pulling her back, but when I see the hospital gown that she is dressed in. I hesitate. "You're hurt."

"Not too bad," she says. "You can expect a few minor injuries when you're running away from a collapsing wall."

"I did this."

"Oh, stop."

"I did, Sonny. I did all of this. This was my fault." I wipe greasy hair from my eyes. "Justin should have the family magic. I don't deserve it. I can't handle it. I shouldn't even be in the competition for Family Wizard." She quiets. I can tell she doesn't know quite what to say. Though, I don't think I would know what to say either. After all, in a single day, she found out that her best friend was a wizard, they were being hunted by some evil magical force, and now she's in a hospital after being attacked with spells. "I'm going to give Justin my powers. He can have them all."

"Don't do that." She whispers.

"How can I not? I almost got you _killed. _You could have died Sonny! I…"

"What?"

"I don't know what I would have done if you had died." I'm in love with you. "You're my best friend." The door flings open. I hear quick, panicked Spanish. My mom throws her arms around me, squeezing me so hard. Suddenly I feel the pain. My mother is crushing my bruised back. I wince and she pulls back immediately. She apologizes profusely and kisses my face. I grimace again, but this time, from embarrassment. "Mom," I whine. "Mom, stop." Sonny laughs in the corner. I glance over, and she is sitting on her own hospital bed, legs crossed and arms folded. Dad walks over now. His eyes are red and I can see that there is a fresh layer of tears waiting to shed. I have never seen my dad cry. It is an unpleasant feeling. He places a hand on my shoulder and smiles. That is enough. Words do not matter. I understand, dad.

Now it is Max's turn. He's got that goofy grin on his face. Nothing breaks Max a million. "I'm glad you're alive, Alex." He smiles, his small fist nudging my shoulder a little bit, I do not let pain show on my face, but instead, I smile and laugh.

"I'm hoping that's a consensus in the room," I joke.

Justin. He looks as though he hasn't slept in days. His eyes are dark, his hair a mess, and his shirt is rumpled. I assume _this _is how he looks in those nightmares he has, when he's thrashing around yelling about not getting accepted to Yale. He opens his mouth, then closes, then opens. My hand feels heavy as I lift it, but I push through and grab Justin's hand. I pull him close enough to where I can see him better in the light and then drop his hand.

"Well look at you, you look like crap." I say. "I look worse though, I bet. So I win. Gosh Justin, can't even beat me at looking like crap. Come on, catch up." He smiles a little, smoothing a wrinkle in his clothes.

"It's just because I'm so handsome. Nothing could ruin this face." I roll my eyes.

"Puh-lease," I croak, my voice cracking a little bit. "Your face already ruined your face."

"I think someone needs to crank up the morphine and knock her out for a little bit." Justin mocks.

"Hardy, har, har." I roll my eyes. "Your humor slays me, Justin. _Really._" I look over at everyone. "Could Justin and I have a few minutes?" They all file out, one by one, even Sonny, though she only has a hospital robe on. The door closes, and I'm alone with my brother for the first time, so I presume, since the fight. He pulls over a chair and sits down. "Thank you," I mumble.

"Did Alex Russo just apologize?"

"I'm being serious right now," I scold. "Thank you, Justin. You saved our lives."

"Maybe you wouldn't have been in that situation if it wasn't for me."

"Justin, no-"

"I need to explain what happened." I don't talk. I let him continue. "I learned the truth about the family magic a few months ago. When I realized that it was destiny that chose who got the magic, and not skill, I was really angry. All that hard work for all those years seemed like such a waste. I felt like I had been lied to." He scratches his forehead and clenches his teeth. "Then I kept reading. The more I learned, the more scared I got. I started understanding why dad did what he did. He didn't give up his powers to marry Mom, but to save us from being chosen. He gave his powers to Kelbo because he knew that he would never have kids and the power would die with him. We would be normal, or, as normal as kids with magic powers can be. The truth is, Alex, that they barely even had a wizard fight. There is a hall of records, and I looked up the Russo Family battles and the fight was over in less than a few minutes. Kelbo got scared and pissed himself, and then Megan broke the rules. She lost by default. Dad had his powers for exactly one week. I'm assuming that's when… well, that's when he learned the truth about our family. He gave Kelbo his powers."

"But why not Aunt Megan? Why Uncle Kelbo?"

"Megan is bitter without magic. If she had the magic, she would have had children. She would have been happy. Things would be different. Dad couldn't risk anyone getting the power. He thought by giving it to Kelbo, someone completely irresponsible with magic and with no intention of ever settling down, everyone would be okay." He reaches into his pocket and pulls out the locket. "I found this in the basement." He hands it to me and I run thumb across the top of it. It's hard and cold. Engraved across is a name, Antonella. I didn't notice that before.

"What is it?"

"Our magic."

"That's what I don't understand," I shake my head. "Our magic is in the lair…"

"Alex, you're special." He hesitates and takes the locket back. "Your magic is different than mine. I don't know how to even explain all this. I feel like whatever I can tell you would be inadequate of truth."

"Try," I plead. He takes a deep breath and plays with the chain of the locket, flicking it between his fingers.

"Thousands of years ago, the Wizard world was a monarchy. It began with a small community, governed by King De Luca and his queen, Adelina. They had two daughters, twins, Francesca and Antonella. Back then, when babies of royalty were born, an elf would come and welcome them to the world. Elves were special, with special magic, and if a child called to them in a specific way, an elf had the ability to grant a child a special ability. When the twins were born and the elf came to visit, something horrible happened. The girls offended the elf. None of the books I read explained how, but the elf became angry. It wasn't often that something like that happened, but instead of giving the girls gifts, the elf gave them curses to live with, though it wasn't until years later that it was realized that what she did _was _bad, and not good. As the Wizard population grew, and the girls grew older, they became smug in their power, and also of of having their father and mother King and Queen. Francesca was beautiful. The girls were twins, but Francesca had an air of beauty about her that shook all people that rang the castles doorstep. When she walked, you couldn't help but stare at her."

"Feeling slightly self conscious right now…"

"Antonella was beautiful as well, but not like her sister. Antonella had brains and a thirst for all knowledge. She took her intelligence and flaunted it just as her sister flaunted her attractiveness. The competitiveness in the castle escalated to a point sometimes to where one daughter would be forced to stay in an entirely different wing, or if things got too bad, Queen Adelina would take Francesca to the summer castle in France while Antonella stayed in Italy with King Claudio. They had such a deep hatred for each other. Antonella longed for the beauty Francesca had, while Francesca envied Antonella's magical skill." Pause. "Then the battle began. The day the girls turned eighteen, something clicked. It was like the hatred for each other grew times a thousand."

"So, they really, really hated each other." I grumble. "What does this have to do with us? With our magic?"

"The elf cursed the De Luca twins, Alex. She gave them both a quality that the other would be jealous of, and on their eighteen birthday they had to fight… until one of them died." I took in a short breath, not expecting that. Death is such a heavy word. "Antonella and Francesca fought, and it took them all over Wizard Italy. Houses were burned, rivers turned to ice, and some people were murdered. In the end, Antonella won. As Antonella sobbed over her slain sister's body, the elf that had cursed the family appeared. She spoke to her, telling her that for her smugness, and for her greediness, her family would be cursed forever with a powerful magic that nothing can compare to. Forever, the De Luca ancestry would have a single member with the power Antonella had, and there would always be someone in the world who wanted to fight them for it."

"We're related to them," it clicks. "The Russo family and the De Luca family are related. We're their ancestors."

"Yes." He holds up the locket and Antonella's name glimmers in the sunlight from the window. "She was so ashamed of what she had done; she locked herself in a tower, thinking that if she didn't reproduce, the line would be broken, and no one would ever have to face what she had faced in their life."

"Did it work?"

"Would we be here if it did?" Smart ass. "Obviously, it didn't work. After her sister's death, the King and Queen knew that Antonella was the only chance for the royal family line to continue. They sent suitor after suitor to her tower, hoping that one day, one man could charm her enough to open the door. After months of pleading through an oak door, the King knew that it would only take extreme measures to continue his family line." He took a deep breath. "He chose a man and took him to his chambers in secret. Adelina didn't know. She was away in France, too distraught over the death of Francesca and the solitude of Antonella. Claudio told the suitor, his name was Antonio Costa, that he was to scale the castle wall and enter Antonella's room during the night."

"No." I hiss. I think back to Sonny and how she laid so defenseless and innocent on the cold concrete, while Jay stood over her. Justin continues.

"Claudio told Antonio to, by any means necessary, impregnate his daughter in order to further the royal blood. He gave him gold, and the promise of the kingdom, and Antonella's hand in marriage."

"He let some man _rape _his daughter?"

"Let me finish." He interrupts me. I feel sick and clammy now. What type of father does that? "Antonella became pregnant, yes, and after two miscarriages, she finally gave birth to a son, and then later two more children, a boy and a girl. The line continued, but Antonella thought that it was broken somehow, and that the elf was bluffing. None of the children had any extraordinary powers."

"Then I'm confused."

"Just wait." I'm beginning to become impatient. "It lies dormant, but it's always there. It went from child to child to child. Only those who truly studied the history of the De Luca ancestry knew about the power. People died here and there, vanished from history, trying to locate a descendent of the family in hope of getting the power."

"What's so special about it, Justin? That's what I want to know. Why me? What's so special about my magic?"

"You have no limits." He responds almost immediately. I think he is getting angry with me interrupting, but I can't help it. I want answers. "You can do whatever you want with your magic, Alex. There are no rules. You have unlimited magic with no consequences, because no one can match your power." He reaches over me and grabs the bag that's hanging on the bedside railing. Normally, I would yell at him for daring to touch my purse, let alone go through it, but he pulls out my wand. "This wand, it's normal. I could do magic with it, and it would be just be magic. When you do magic Alex… it's different."

"Then why do I suck at doing magic?"

"Well, you're lazy, for one thing…"

I glare. "Justin, I mean, if I'm supposed to have these extraordinary powers in the family, why can I never beat you at magic? You always have to bail me out. I can never do things for myself. You bailed me out tonight."

"Do you remember when we had to get the Stone of Dreams to get everything back to normal?" How could I forget? I nearly ruined my family. "I couldn't do half the things you did. _You _opened the gate to the pathway, _you_ levitated the rocks, _you _came up with the good ideas. It's kind of like how I'm book smart and you're street smart. I can study a book for decades, but you, Alex, you just have that thing inside your head that guides you the right way when you really tap into it."

"So, we all keep our powers then, right? There really isn't a Wizard competition."

"There _is _a wizard competition, and only one of us keeps our powers." He hesitates for a minute. I can see his hand shaky a little.

"But you said…"

"I know what I _said._" He yells, clenching his fist around the locket. "You see this locket? Antonella, before she died, handed this down for generations to all the children after her that got the power. It holds the curse. She thought it contained it, thought that was why none of her own children killed each other, like she killed Francesca. Dad was the one, Alex. He thought by giving up his powers, willingly, without any real fight, the curse was broken. Dad figured it out like I did. But he was wrong, and it was passed to us."

"Are you trying to tell me that we're going to have to fight, Justin? That once Max is eighteen, the Wizard battle will be different for us?"

"It could be," he sighs. "I don't know. I was hoping that if you went to L.A, came here to So Random, that maybe the magic could just be… squashed out of you. That maybe you would turn against Wizard lessons, not want to come home, and then it would all go away. It was stupid. I knew it wouldn't work. It just gave me more time to figure something out."

"And then Jay…"

"Megan was behind it all the entire time."

"If Dad had given Megan the Power, would any of this have happened?" he shrugs.

"If Dad had kept the Power, we wouldn't even be here."

"Dad might not be here either, though. Who would go after him, then? We can't blame dad."

"Alex, there is something wrong with the Wizard world. There is a whole other part of that world that we've never seen, that dad has never shown us…" he takes a deep breath and tosses the locket on the table next to my bed. "I think we need to figure it out. None of the story I told you really makes any sense. Nothing fits. It doesn't make sense that it all started with some elf, some twins, some monarchy. Why did it trickle down to us, a Hispanic-Italian family from New York? Why is it that Sonny's step-brother was controlled, instead of someone else close to us? Why him? None of it makes any damn sense." I hold my breath. I know the reason it was Jay. Justin couldn't hear Megan when she was talking. He wasn't there when Jay was still being controlled. He heard nothing, and that makes me calm. Sonny's secret is safe with me.

"If dad did have the power, and he did win the wizard lessons, why didn't he kill Kelbo and Megan?"

"I don't think it was activated," Justin says. "The power, I mean. You know how I said it's been dormant for so long, right?" I nod. "Well, it's still dormant. I mean, obviously, you're special. You've got the magic, Alex. You're the only one that can use it. But I think that only when Max is eighteen and we're able to do the Wizard competition will we find out if the magic is at its full strength. That's when we'll know. Dad was probably really excellent at magic too, but fortunately, there wasn't the jealousy yet."

"So, what you're saying is, if I kill you guys, then we'll know that the magic is real and I have it."

"Basically."

"Well that's great." Justin chuckles. "So we have four years?"

"Four years."

"That's enough time, you know. To break the curse."

"I've looked," he says. "I've looked through more spell books than you could possibly imagine. There is nothing."

"Says you," I lean up and cringe. My back feels heavy and cracks as I struggle to move out of my bed. Justin gently pushes me back and shakes his head. "Justin," I pout. "Just let me get up."

"No." he says smugly.

"Maybe I won't wait for four years," I reply. "Maybe I'll just kill you now and get it over with."

"Doc's orders," he points to the white board above my head. "Bed rest. Two weeks." I groan. "We have plenty of time to figure this out. Four years, Alex."

"Four years," I repeat. "Can I ask one more question?"

"One more, but after this I deserve some form of reward."

"I'll grab you a box of Scooby snacks after I'm released from the _hospital." _He rolls his eyes. "What happened after the wall? What exactly is wrong with me?"

"Other than the obvious?" I smack his arm, and then flinch back. My arm starts burning at the quick movements. "You blacked out shortly after you pushed Sonny in front of you. You have a nasty cut on your forehead that runs from your hairline and back, but your arms are where you lost most of the blood. They had to surgically remove pebbles from your arm, they were engraved so deeply. Your other arm is stitched up, obviously. You're on about five different antibiotics to prevent infection. You're a pretty big space case and you never clean your room. Oh, and the way you eat pizza is really weird…" I very badly wish to throw a pillow at him, but I resist. The stitches in my arm are practically screaming at me to not do it. "Basically, you've gone through hell and back. You're pretty beat up. The look on mom's face when she got here… well, it was almost as pretty as that scar you're going to have on your forehead."

"Wonderful. And the studio?" Justin laughs.

"Yeah, well. We had to handle that a, er, magical way. Obviously, a collapsing building makes a lot of noise. When police and paramedic arrived on the scene, I made up some story about you guys chasing a stray dog into the building hoping to help it. When that didn't go by too smoothly, I charmed them to make sure they believed it. I don't think a front page headline talking about a psycho wizard named Megan Russo who chased her niece and nephew into an abandoned construction zone to murder the niece and steal the family magic would go over too smoothly, even if this is Los Angelos." The door swings open and dad comes in, waving Justin out of the room. Apparently, it's my rest time. Sonny hobbles in, a quick smile flashed at my dad, and she climbs into her bed under the covers. Each family member comes in and gives me a quick hug and kiss, gives a wave to Sonny, and then exits leaving me and Sonny alone. The remote to my television is too far away for me to get without breaking my strict bed arrest. A book lies on the table, no doubt left by Justin, and as appealing as reading about the Roman Empire is, I reach for a word search instead.

No pen.

I sigh miserably and let my head rest on my pillow and my eyes close. Next to me, I can hear Sonny rustling her blankets and then the sound of something slipping across the floor. With a quick open of the eyes, Sonny can be seen shuffling in slippers across the room over to my bed.

"Scoot," she says, and I oblige, moving my body over more towards the right to let her slip under my covers with me. She leans up and, with her long arms, grabs the remote I couldn't reach and places it in my lap. A flick of the wrist and she pulls a pen from her pocket. "It's amazing, really. The things you can do without magic." She winks.

"About that,"

"I think it's cool." She interrupts. "Even if I did almost, you know, die."

"It usually doesn't cause death."

"You could have told me."

"Yeah but you finding out this way seemed like so much more fun. Besides, I was craving the hospital food." She rolls her eyes, but smiles. I flick on the TV and scroll through channels. Sonny's body is warm next to mine. Her hand snakes through the tangled web of blankets and takes my own.

"By the way," she whispers. "Thank you."

"For what, exactly?" I say, aghast.

"Saving my life." Sonny replies simply. Her hand pulls away and she starts to climb from my bed.

There are rare moments in life where you literally have no thought process going on whatsoever. I mean, there are moments where you're just not thinking clearly or you're too distraught over the death of your eighteen year old cat that you can't understand what you're doing, or those moments in life where you're so happy you can't help but think about anything but being happy and then you crash your car into oncoming traffic or something because you're so distracted. But that split second decision, that once-in-a-lifetime moment where your brain has shut down completely is one of the most thrilling times of your life. Because for that minute, second, hour, or however long it lasts, it just doesn't matter. Consequences don't matter. Sure, if you wake up hung over in some guys' house naked and feeling nauseous you have some cause for concern. But drunk not thinking doesn't matter. This matters. This moment matters.

Without thinking, without any thought process whatsoever, my hand snakes around Sonny's waist and pulls her back to the bed. Her body falls back onto her side and I kiss her: it seems like such a simple idea, so careless, so whimsical, and it's not until she begins kissing me back does my brain come back on full alert. She doesn't pull away in disgust or surprise, but meshes completely with my body on the hospital bed. With great difficulty and a slight shot of pain up my spine, I twist on my side and slide a hand onto her cheek. Her own hand falls to my side, each finger taking its turn in pressing into my skin just slightly with enough pressure to make me remember her hand is even there. She pulls back a little, kisses my cheek, and then my lips again. I pull away and let my head fall to her neck.

"Remind me to put you in mortal danger more often," I mumble against her lips.

"I like you, Alex."

"I like you, Sonny." Then she cries. Harder, and harder, and harder, _sobbing _on my shoulder. Awkwardly, I put a hand on her back, rubbing in smooth circles. My hospital gown, drenched in salty tears, slips further down my shoulder until she's crying onto my bare skin. "Sonny, shh." I whisper. "It's okay."

"I couldn't move," she takes a large gulp of breath. "I couldn't move, I couldn't do anything. But I could hear, Alex. I heard everything in that room. I could feel."

"So, Jay," Sonny nods. I pull her closer to me now and let her cry out her past. We don't talk. We don't need to talk right now, not about that. Slowly I fall backwards and let her body fall naturally into the crevice of my arm and let her head fall onto my shoulder. We lay like that for hours until we both fall asleep.

Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple.

Dr. Seuss said it all. I wake up before Sonny. Her head is still in the same position as the night before, and although my arm is sore and cramped, I don't bother waking her. My lips gently brush against her forehead. When I glance at the clock, I realize it's only four o'clock in the morning. I wonder when we fell asleep. Has a nurse come in yet to check on us? Did she see us sleeping in the same bed? Should I care? More to the point:

What do I tell my parents?

I look down at Sonny sleeping. For the first time since I saw her at the mall, she looks peaceful. Her hair is a mess and dark circles are still intruding under her eyes but there is something about the way her mouth is twitching just slightly at the corners and the way her cheeks are a light rosy red that gives me the idea that she's having an okay dream. I could be wrong. More than wrong, even. She could be having the worst dream of her life. But she looks beautiful, and that's what captures the true innocence she has inside of herself and the peace she will one day find with her past.

Or that's a load of crap out of some Dr. Oprah or Phil Winfrey book. I know nothing about love or relationships or trauma or innocence. I'm not love, I'm hate. I'm not a relationship, I'm an enemy. I might be trauma, but no way am I innocent. Sonny is love. Sonny is a relationship. Sonny is innocent. Is our only link trauma? Megan is still somewhere waiting for me and waiting for the locket and the magic. Am I putting Sonny in harm's way?

I can hear nurses chatting at the nurse station outside my hall. They're not being very quiet, despite having sleeping patients on their floor. One laughs, and Sonny bolts up, eyes wide open.

"What did you say?" she murmurs, rubbing her eye.

"Nothing, it was a nurse out in the hall."

"What time is it?"

"Around four?"

"Oh gosh," she's suddenly wide awake. "Has anyone come in? We fell asleep hours ago."

"I'm sure someone has. They can't just not check on a patient every six hours or so,"

"You'd think they'd disapprove of patients sleeping in the same bed together,"

"We're not contagious." I shrug. "I suppose it's not a big deal as long as the other person isn't pulling out any IV lines or anything. If I have any more bruises on my legs though, I'll have to assume you kick in your sleep." She blushes. "Ah, a blush. Does that mean I have cause for concern?"

"No," she mumbles defensively. "I'm wide awake now. Want to watch television?"

"What's on at four o'clock in the morning on basic cable?"

"Religious cults, infomercials, Bill Cosby."

"Religious cults it is," I say, reaching for the remote on the side table. Sonny grabs it before me, grinning.

"Bill Cosby."

"Religious cults."

"Bill Cosby!"

"Religious cults."

"Bill Cosby!"

"Making out!" Her face goes blank.

"What?" Before she can notice what I'm doing, I snatch the remote from her hand and hold it far enough to where she can't grab it. She folds her arms across her stomach and pouts. "That wasn't fair, you distracted me."

"It's not my fault you've got a dirty mind,"

"How is _my _mind dirty?"

"I'm not sure, but because you took an extra five seconds to think of an answer, you didn't notice that I took that word search next to you _and _the pen."

"You can't use magic for everything, Alex!"

"No magic. Just good ol' Alex cleverness."

We laugh for a few more minutes before settling on a channel; Bill Cosby is talking to his wife on The Cosby Show. She smiles at me, and I smile back just as sweetly. It's a compromise I can live with. After all, I wanted to watch The Cosby Show anyway. It just seemed more entertaining to fight with her.

The lights in the hallway get brighter and the sun through our window blinds us. Nurses filter in and out, and not a single one yell at us for being in the same bed. Only one asks Sonny to move, but only so she can change my IV. Right after, Sonny climbs back in, slipping snuggly under the scratchy hospital blanket. My mom comes in soon after, and then Sonny's, and soon enough we have an entire family reunion. Justin and Max sit in two arm chairs out looking the hospital parking lot, and Dad leans against the door frame. Both of our moms chat next to us, but mostly to each other. Sonny and I just nod and smile, hoping that minimal questions are asked. Sonny's step-dad comes in every so often after he visits with Jay, just a few rooms down the hall. Whenever her step-dad comes back in to report on Jay, my hand slips under the covers to find hers and I squeeze. She squeezes back. We're okay.

The room is really packed now. Marshall walks in carrying a balloon with our faces on them, and trailing behind him, Grady, Nico, and Zora.

"What up, what up!" Nico shouts.

"Way to miss my party," Zora jumps up onto the bed and sits at the end of it, legs folded up. "It was a blast, too. Nico ate the entire cake and Grady drank all my super secret ninja punch. Then Chad came. The end."

"Oh, I'm sorry Zora." Sonny says.

"It's fine. Just let's not let it happen again, okay?"

"Yes girls, let's not have this happen again. I can't have two fifths of my cast members in the hospital with mysterious injuries. No more chasing animals into abandoned buildings, alright?" Marshall ties the balloon to our table. "You two are far too talented to be mucked up with scars and bruises and cuts."

I let the conversation carry from there. Everyone is talking, and the room is so crowded, that I just can't keep track of the conversation. I look at Marshall, and then at my mom and dad, and Sonny, then over to Grady and Nico, and finally my eyes land on my brothers.

I have talent. Not just on So Random, but I've proven to myself that I have _talent. _I can do magic. I saved us. I saved Sonny. Of course, Justin helped, but I did it. I helped too. I didn't just sit back and let Justin take the reins. I smile and shuffle my feet under the blanket a little bit to get circulation in my legs. It's a good feeling, this feeling. The feeling of feeling good enough, of being something better than what I was.

The feeling of being worthy.

I feel like I could win a Talent Show or something.

Ha, what a joke.

**The end. **

**Review please and let me know what you think. **

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**Let me know in reviews guys! If I do a sequel I want to know what YOU want so I can make the story perfect for those reading it. I've got a rough first chapter of a sequel but I'm not sure if I want to post it or not. Let me know. **


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